The French Presidential Poll in Perspective: Part One

THE election of Emmanuel Macron as president of France has received a rapturous welcome across much of the mainstream media as well as in the boardrooms and financial markets of international capital.In the second round of the presidential poll, held on Sunday May 7, Macron trounced his opponent, Marine Le Pen of the fascist Front National, gaining 66.1 percent of the valid votes against 33.9 percent for Le Pen. The scale of his victory has been greeted with relief, and in many quarters it is being presented as some sort of revalidation of France’s credentials as a liberal democracy commit

DELHI: CPI(M) Condemns Hike in Metro Fares

THE Delhi state committee of the CPI(M), in a statement issued on May 9, has condemned the steep hike in the fares of Delhi Metro and demanded its immediate withdrawal. The cost of tickets at practically all levels is being doubled through this measure. Thus, whereas the maximum cost of a metro ticket stands at Rs 30 today it will become Rs 60 in the second phase of fare increase in October.

WEST BENGAL: March in Solidarity with Bhangar

THOUSANDS of people marched towards Raj Bhavan in Kolkata in solidarity with the struggling people of Bhangar on May 8. The rally had to face police obstacles as huge contingent of forces were stationed. Police even picked up some of the protestors from the rally but were forced to release them later under pressure from the people.The movement against the high voltage power grid in Bhangar has eventually turned against large scale land loot in the area. Land mafia, under the leadership of TMC has practically snatched hundreds of acres of land for realty and other purposes.

PLIGHT OF CHILLI FARMERS: Shed Apathy & Act to Save Farmers in AP & Telangana: AIKS

THE All India Kisan Sabha, in a statement issued on May 10, has condemned the extreme insensitivity of the BJP-led central government, the TDP-led Andhra Pradesh government and TRS government in Telangana towards the plight of the chilli farmers in the two states. It is notable that the farmers had expanded cultivation of chilli on the advice of the Andhra Pradesh state government to not go in for cotton cultivation citing pests and climatic problems. Despite the drought situation, farmers invested in a big way leading to bumper production of the crop.

AIDWA Welcomes SC Verdict in Nirbhaya Case

THE All India Democratic Women’s Association, in a statement issued on May 5, has welcomed the Supreme Court judgment in the brutal and horrific ‘Nirbhaya’ gang-rape and murder case giving the maximum punishment allowed by the law. However, AIDWA is against the death penalty for a number of reasons including the fact that it is often arbitrarily asked for and given.

Marx in Today’s World

THE 199th birth anniversary of Karl Marx fell on May 5 this year. It is a precursor to the 200th birth anniversary of Marx which is going to be celebrated worldwide.It may be asked, what is the relevance of a nineteenth century philosopher, Karl Marx, who also wrote a book called Das Capital, to the people living in the twenty-first century?Karl Marx was born 200 years ago and the first volume of Capital, a comprehensive study of capitalism, appeared 150 years ago in 1867.

Tripura Will Rebuff BJP Designs

BJP president, Amit Shah, has declared that the BJP would oust the Left Front government in Tripura in the assembly elections to be held early next year. He has also gone on to claim that the Leftists would be uprooted from the state.To fulfill his desire, the BJP and the RSS have been working overtime to create conditions of violence and confrontation in the state. Just days before Amit Shah’s visit to Tripura, BJP goons launched a series of attacks on CPI(M) workers.

THREE YEARS OF MODI GOVERNMENT: People Suffer Because There are no jobs

IN the whole of last year, just 2.3 lakh jobs were added in eight key non-farm sectors of the economy, according to a recent government report. These eight sectors are manufacturing, construction, trade, transport, accommodation and restaurants, IT/BPO, education and health. All together, they employ over two crore workers.

Whose Cause RBI Top Executives are Serving?

THE public statements of governor and deputy governor of RBI advocating privatisation of public sector banks are highly deplorable.

TRIPURA: Khet Majur Union Holds Tenth State Conference

THE Tripura Khet Majur Union has completed its tenth state conference with a resolute vow to frustrate the orchestrated drive of the communal, parochial and sectarian elements under the patronage of the RSS and the BJP to create unrest and disturb the peaceful atmosphere in the state and thus embarrass the Left Front government. The conference also called upon all its members to plunge into the battle for formation of a Left Front government for the eighth term in the state in the assembly election slated for early next year for the interest of impoverished sections of the people.

Search form

Peoples Democracy newsletter