Israeli Occupation Continues To Be Seen As Illegal

IN the last week of December, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted resolution 2334 reaffirming that Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and Jerusalem are illegal. The United States this time did not veto the resolution. A similar resolution was vetoed by the Obama administration in 2011, despite the US characterising itself as “an honest peace broker” in the Israel-Palestine dispute and terming the settlements as “illegal”. The US has in fact been indirectly subsidising much of the illegal settlement activity.

ISRO’s Record Launch: Less Known Innovations

INDIA last week once again breathlessly celebrated another record-breaking feat by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in launching 104 satellites on a single flight of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-37 on February 16, 2017. Print and electronic media in India went ga-ga with stories about how India had pulled off another “first,” beating by several times the earlier Russian record launch of 37 satellites in a single flight in 2014.

History of the Communist Party in Kerala – A Project of the CPI(M)

HISTORIES of the Communist movement in Kerala have been written by several scholars, as well as by the leading comrades of movement, such as EMS Namboodiripad and NE Balaram. Histories of various class and mass movements in Kerala, such as trade union movement, kisan movement, students movement, teachers movement and the NGOs are also available. Autobiographies and biographies of several leading comrades, throwing light on various aspects of the history of the Party have also been published.

“Government by Discussion”

Professor Amartya Sen in his new book Collective Choice and Social Welfare which is a considerably expanded and updated version of his 1970 book with the same title, emphasizes that democracy must be understood as “government by discussion”. The idea of democracy being “government by discussion” really belongs to John Stuart Mill, though this particular phrase was coined by Walter Bagehot.

Com RG is No More

COMRADE R Govindarajan, a senior leader of the All India Insurance Employees Association (AIIEA), and editorial board member of the “Marxist” (Tamil) monthly magazine of the Tamil Nadu state committee of the CPI(M), breathed his last on February 18, 2017.Com R Govindarajan, fondly called RG by the insurance employees throughout the country, worked in various positions of AIIEA for more than 40 years.

CITU Conference Calls for Resisting Anti-people Policies of Centre & Establishing Left front Govt for the Eighth Term

THE first session of the 14th Tripura state conference of the CITU at Ambassa was inaugurated by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and chief minister Manik Sarkar. Immediately after the inaugural address, general secretary Sankar Prasad Datta presented the draft political organisational report before the delegates.While the draft political report touched the main directions of the international and national situations, it elaborately narrated the adverse impact of the neoliberal policies on lives and livelihood of working people mostly in unorganised sector.

Students’ March against Attacks on Education, Democracy & Social Justice

THE Modi government has completed two-and-a-half years. The promise of ‘achhe din’ has vanished long ago and instead of that, we are seeing an all-out attack on the life and livelihoods of common people. Students and youths had voted in large numbers for BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections with the hope that it would provide relief from the unrelenting miseries imposed by the Congress rule. However, the experience of these two-and-a-half years has proved to be contrary.

WEST BENGAL: ‘Big Capital has Chosen Hindutva Forces to Implement Neoliberal Policies’

THE big capital in India has extended its support to Hindutva forces to implement neoliberal policies. The coming together of big business and communal forces is a very serious threat to Indian polity.This was said by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat, while delivering Chittabrata Majumdar memorial lecture in Howrah, West Bengal. Majumdar, former Polit Bureau member of CPI(M) and general secretary of CITU led early struggles against the onslaught of neoliberalism. The topic of the lecture was ‘25 years of neoliberalism: experience and orientation’.

Peasantry Will Resist State & Corporate Attack on Land, Agriculture and Livelihood

THE Central Kisan Committee of AIKS met in Delhi on February 15-16 to discuss the prevailing agrarian situation in the country. It has decided to join hands with all like-minded left and progressive organisations of peasants, agricultural workers, dalits and tribals to resist the attack unleased by the Centre and various state governments on land, agriculture and the livelihood of the peasantry.

Thinking Together

In India all sorts of politicians face corruption charges, some face trial in courts, some are convicted, some are acquitted, some go on appeal etc..etc.. Does CPI(M) treat one is innocent till final conviction in any court of law? What is the yardstick CPI(M) adopts to deal with them? S Manohar, Melagaram,Tamil Nadu. Corruption is a serious problem affecting the country. Much of the high level corruption stems from the big business-politician-bureaucrat nexus. Given this fact, very few politicians who have misused their office face corruption charges.

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