Wages of Neo-liberalism

JEREMY Seabrook, one of the most vocal voices of labour today, in his latest book The Song of the Shirt, takes us to the bleak, almost surreal, world of Dhaka garment industry’s over 3,000 sweatshops. Tens of thousands of workers – 80 per cent of them women and children – labour here for long hours, in cramped and squalid conditions to eke out a subsistence existence. Many malnourished live on one meal a day, with diseases never far away and doctors beyond their reach. Nevertheless, for these workers, the only thing worse than these sweatshops is not to have them.

Pakistan: Roots of Terror

THE Peshawar massacre of the innocents could be a turning point in Pakistan. At least for the moment all the important stakeholders seem united in their determination to confront the scourge of terrorism which has been mercilessly stalking the country for more than a decade now. At this juncture there is a consensus in the country that the time has come to crush the militant groups which have been running amok since the overthrow of the Taliban government and American occupation of Afghanistan in 2001.

CPI(M) Ernakulam Dist Conference Held

THE three day Ernakulam district conference of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), held at the historic town of Thripunithura, from January 13 –15, was a grand success. CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan who inaugurated the conference criticised the United Democratic Front(UDF) government’s decision to withdraw the case registered against Kerala Students Union(KSU) activists for pouring used engine oil on an IAS officer. Pinarayi said the action would make the government officials insecure.

Andaman & Nicobar State Conference of CPI (M) Held

THE ninth state conference of the CPI(M), Andaman and Nicobar unit held in Port Blair on January 4, has decided to re-activate the Party in the islands and intensify the fight against the anti-people policies of the BJP-led government at the centre. The conference was held at the Shaheed Bhavan, the CPI(M) state committee office, in Port Blair.

PUNJAB: CPI(M) State Conference Calls for Intensifying Struggles against Anti-People Policies

THE 21st Punjab state conference of the CPI(M) was held from January 15-18 at Jandiala Manjki in Jalandhar. The conference gave the call to unite and strengthen the struggles against the anti-people policies being pursued by the NDA governments in the state and at the centre.A massive rally was organised at Jandiala Manjki village on the opening day of the three-day conference. Party general secretary Prakash Karat, Polit Bureau member S Ramachandran Pillai, Central Secretariat members Nilotpal Basu and Joginder Sharma, and state secretary Charan Singh Virdi addressed the gathering.

The Real & Insidious Nature of 'Ghar Wapsi’ Campaign

‘GHAR’ is one of the most loved and evocative words in Hindustani. It conjures up a place that is always welcoming, always accepting, not only to those who belong to it but to their friends and comrades. The doors of a home are always open, the space in a home is also elastic, capable of enveloping as many as want to enter the haven that it offers. ‘Ghar wapsi’ therefore signifies a happy return home. From a voyage, from a long absence, from a holiday. It is a happy home-coming not only for a family favourite but even for a prodigal son (or daughter). In short, it is

Greater Economic Burdens Instead of Ache Din

THERE is predictable hype being built over US President Barrack Obama’s presence at the 2015 Republic Day parade as the chief guest. This is the first time, since independence, that a serving president of the USA would be the chief guest at our annual Republic Day parade where the president of India as the `supreme commander of the armed forces’ will take the “salute”. When the supreme commander takes the salute, it is the signal for all the wings of the armed forces to move into, what is called in military parlance, “war mode”.

Sham of Lowering Petrol & Diesel Prices

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on January 17. THE central government has for the fourth time since November hiked the excise duties on petrol and diesel which will bring the government revenue of Rs 20,000 crores rupees. Thus instead of the people of India benefiting from the 55 per cent decrease in the global price of crude oil since June 2014, the government is exploiting the situation to fill its own coffers. These steps of the government also expose its totally hypocritical approach regarding deregulation.

Central Committee Adopts Review Report & Draft Political Resolution

THE Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) began its three day session at Pragati Nagar in Hyderabad from January 19-21. On behalf of the Polit Bureau, General Secretary Prakash Karat placed the Draft Review Report on the Political Tactical Line, in the morning session.

Mumbo Jumbo as Science in the Science Congress

THE 102nd Science Congress did not distinguish itself by inviting speakers, who offered mumbo jumbo as science. It was not helped by the union minister for science and technology, Harsh Vardhan talking about how India had discovered the Pythagoras “formula”, and algebra well before Greeks and Arabs but generously gave them the “credit”. The past is no longer about scientifically discovering what really happened, but a race of who did what first.

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