Narendra Modi on Poverty

IN his speech to BJP workers in Delhi after the assembly election results had been declared, Narendra Modi announced that his policy henceforth would be to empower the poor by providing them with opportunities, instead of handing out doles to them, which, he believes, is what the various “pro-poor” welfare programmes amount to. Newspapers were quick to underscore, and in general laud, this shift in approach from “welfarism” to “development”.

The Attack on Indian Americans

WHEN Narendra Modi sat in the wilderness of American political opinion, sections of the NRI community came to his defence. Graphic human rights reports on the pogrom in Gujarat had turned the US State Department against Modi. He was denied a visa to enter the United States. It did not help Modi that there was clear evidence of discrimination against Christians in Gujarat, most notably in the Dangs region where Modi’s allies used violence against Christian missionaries. This did not sit well with the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

MAHARASHTRA: Rightwing Offensive Continues In Local Body Elections

A FORTNIGHT before the results to the Uttar Pradesh and other four state assemblies were declared, the same rightwing offensive was evident in the elections to 10 municipal corporations (MC), 25 zilla parishads (ZP) and 283 panchayat samitis (PS) in Maharashtra. These elections took place last month and the results were declared on February 23.THE OVERALL PICTUREThe BJP won eight of the ten municipal corporations – Nashik, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Ulhasnagar, Solapur, Nagpur, Amravati and Akola with clear majorities. The Shiv Sena retained Thane with a clear majority.

Lengthening Shadow of Terrorism in the Region

PAKISTAN and Afghanistan have in recent weeks and months witnessed a wave of serious terrorist incidents that have cost the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians. Alarmingly, most of the attacks have been the handiwork of the so-called Islamic State (Daesh). It no longer can be denied that the lethal terrorist group has sprung roots in the sub continent. The suicide attack on one of the most famous Sufi shrines in the region, the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, situated in Sindh province, in the third week of February is an illustration.

CPI(M) Takes Up People’s Issues in Tamil Nadu

TAMIL Nadu is facing an unusual situation. The entire state has been badly affected by a severe drought the like of which has not been seen for over a hundred years. On account of the shortfall in rainfall, from both the South West and the North East monsoons, agriculture in Tamil Nadu has been badly hit.

KERALA: Budget and Annual Plan for 2017-18

THE budget of 2017-18 is an expression of the commitment of the government of Kerala to take bold and imaginative decisions in the service of the people, despite resource constraints and the inequalities of centre-state financial relations.Every budget has plan and non-plan components. This year, in a budget that envisages plan plus non-plan expenditure of more than Rs 1,19,601 crores, about one-quarter comes from plan expenditure.

WEST BENGAL: Militant Struggle by Students-Youth Sends New Message

STUDENTS-youth in West Bengal came into streets and fought a militant battle, creating tales of resistance. This wasn’t the first time that organisations like the Students’ Federation of India and the Democratic Youth Federation of India took to the streets demanding that the TET be conducted transparently and that proper investigations be made into the various allegations surrounding the exam. The School Services Commission (SSC) was set up during the Left Front rule in the state and was responsible for conducting the Teachers’ Entrance Test (TET).

Karnataka: Women Agricultural Workers Convention Demands Drought Relief

A Two day state level convention of Women agricultural workers of Karnataka concluded on March 9, 2017, demanding from the central government a sum of Rs 3000 each to all the poor rural families, every month, as drought relief. The main resolution that was adopted by the convention said that all the states in south India, including Karnataka were under severe drought. The rural poor get no work to earn any income. The public distribution system does not work. In most of the places, the people do not even get water to drink. The cattle are dying of starvation.

Thinking Together

Q. Why is the CPI(M) always criticising Israel as if it is a demon and always hailing Palestinians even the radicalist Palestinians?Sagarneel Sinha A. Israel as a State was founded in 1948. The establishment of Israel was a Zionist project which was backed by the Western powers. Earlier, this land was Palestine which was a British colony. The original inhabitants of Palestine were of Arab origin which included both Muslims and Christians and a small Jewish population.

BJP’s Lethal Cocktail of Communal Polarisation and Caste Based Social Engineering

THE BJP has scored a stunning victory in the recent round of assembly elections. In Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, it has managed to maintain its 2014 performance.

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