French elections: the banker, the fascist...or the streets?

After the anti-capitalist Left's unprecedented achievement in the first round, attention will now focus on Mélenchon’s engagement with the movementWITH the results now in from the first round of voting in France’s presidential elections, the two frontrunners, Emmanuel Macron of En marche! and Marine Le Pen of the fascist Front National, are drawing breath after making it through to the run-off.On the basis of a high voter turnout of 78-80 percent, both victors in fact performed short of projections made earlier in the campaign.

Joint Convention of Youth and Students

A JOINT convention of students and youth was held successfully on 8th April 8, the day when Bhagat Singh, accompanied by Batukeshwar Dutt in 1929, threw two bombs into Central Assembly (the present-day Lok Sabha) protesting against the Public Safety Bill. They could probably have escaped but they stayed shouting the slogan Inquilab Zindabad ("Long Live the Revolution") and threw leaflets. This convention was dedicated to the memory of Bhagat Singh and his ideas.

AIDWA Demands Equal Rights and Violence Free Life for All Women

IT has been widely reported in the press that the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath plans to carry out a survey of Muslim women to ascertain their keenness to get rid of triple talaq. Muslim women and Muslim women's groups across the country have been campaigning for several years against the practice of triple talaq and have filed several cases in the courts including the Supreme Court against this practice.

Agrarian Perspective on ‘Holy Cow’ Debate

THE April 1 lynching of dairy farmer Pehlu Khan by cow vigilantes belonging to the VHP and the Bajrang Dal in Alwar in Rajasthan has brought to the national attention the agrarian aspects of the debate surrounding ban on cow slaughter. The moral and law and order aspects of the unbridled series of criminal onslaught on innocent persons belonging to the Muslim community by the Sangh Parivar, with the backing of the BJP-led governments, are of grave importance that in the long run could devastate the unity and integrity of the people and the country.

May Day: Political Tasks for the Working Class

MAY Day, the traditional day for working class solidarity, is being celebrated around the world by workers, trade unions and political parties linked to the working class.It is an appropriate occasion to assess the worldwide political currents and how they relate to and affect the working class movement and Left politics. The past year has seen a further shift to the right in most of the advanced capitalist countries. The election of Trump as President in the United States came in the wake of the growing popularity of extreme right and xenophobic parties in Europe. The increase in the s

Thinking Together

Q: The BJP government has announced a loan waiver for marginal and small farmers up to Rs One lakh. What is the CPI(M) stand on waiver of farmers’ loans? Can it be justified for all farmers? S ManickamChennai CPI(M) views waiver of farmers’ loans as a necessary step in times of agrarian crisis, crop loss and loss of livelihood due to natural calamities like floods and droughts.

BJP Leader’s EVM Assertion: Slip of Tongue about a Hidden Agenda?

ASTONISHING the democracy-loving people of Tripura, BJP state president Biplab Deb boastfully declared: “As election was held in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, it will recur in Tripura. Even if (Chief Minister) Manik Sarkar himself casts his vote for his party, that will be recorded in favour of lotus (BJP’s poll symbol).

LETTER: ‘EVMs to be used in Tripura elections must be linked with VVPAT’

THE president of the Tripura unit of BJP, Biplab Deb, has in a public meeting, cast aspersions on the objectivity and fairness of the electronic voting machines and dared the chief minister of Tripura to lodge a complaint against him. This comes in the background of the widespread apprehensions about EVMs. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has written a letter to the chief election commissioner on April 15, demanding among other things that in elections in Tripura, EVMs with voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) should be used.

TELANGANA: Relay Hunger Strike for Protection of Dharna Chowk

THE Left parties, including the CPI(M), and various mass organisations commenced relay hunger strike demanding the TRS government to continue the dharna chowk at Indira Park in Hyderabad. Started by the Left parties on April 15, the relay hunger strikes by different mass organisations and different sections of the people would continue till the 14th May and culminate into occupation of Dharna Chowk on the 15th May.

Generic Prescribing of Medicines: Diktats are Not a Substitute for Sound Public Policy

IN a recent public meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the government would take steps to reduce costs incurred on purchase of medicines by making it mandatory for doctors to prescribe medicines in generic name. In itself such a step by the government would be welcome. Unfortunately past experience shows that such pronouncements are mere empty promises that have no relation to the situation on the ground.

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