Peoples Democracy newsletter

Growing Militarisation of Imperialist Countries

IN a declaration at the NATO summit held at the Hague in June this year, all NATO countries agreed to increase the share of military expenditure in their gross domestic product to 5 percent by 2035. The proportion in 2024 in the US was 3.5 per cent and in the European Union 1.9 per cent, which means a substantial step up, especially in the EU, in military expenditure.

Gaza’s Pause: Fragile, Painful & Precarious

The announcement of the latest ceasefire in Gaza in early October 2025 was a rare moment of relief for the lakhs of Palestinians besieged for nearly two years, enduring daily bombardments, hunger and displacement. It offered some respite, some stoppage to the relentless killing, some hope of aid trucks entering into Gaza and the wounded receiving treatment. But that pause has proved fragile. Israeli forces have, true to their wont, carried out strikes and incursions post the deal. Humanitarian aid remains woefully restricted.

People’s Cultural Festivals Challenge Communal

THE festivals, Utsavs, Jatras, etc. that we celebrate are all part of our culture. Not all festivals that people celebrate are religious. Over centuries, humanity has progressed by harnessing nature through collective struggle for survival. These victories are often marked by festivals. Vijayadashami or Dussehra is simply the day of ‘victory of good over evil’. On this occasion, various types of cultural art forms are performed in different places.In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP made an alliance with Telugu Desam and Janasena to become a partner in the government.

Bihar: Campaign for Phase I of Election Reaches Zenith

Proclivity to resort to lies and slander against opponents comes naturally to the Prime Minister and his cohorts, and they are employing them daily in their election speeches.Prime Minister and his yes-man Amit Shah have nothing to say about unemployment, corruption of monumental proportion, growing attacks on women, Dalits, minorities and other sections of marginalized communities, and the large scale migration which came into full play when the migrants workers took their homeward journey to take part in Bihar’s most popular festival Chhath, packed like sardines in all the Bihar bound tra

Big protest action against bribery, drugs and crime against women

THE CPI(M) in Tripura has organised a statewide protest movement on three key demands – dismissal of state minister Sudhangshu Das who admitted to accepting bribe from contractors and government suppliers, immediate identification and arrest of the drug-traffickers who transported two huge consignments of banned Eskuf cough syrup, and prompt action against the perpetrators of several recent dastardly incidents of rape and murder -- between October 24 and 31.

The Omnipresent Caste

THE CPI(M), while evaluating the State Structure and Democracy in its Party Programme – which was adopted in 1964 and has since been updated – had correctly identified that the bourgeois-landlord system has failed to put an end to caste oppression. The worst sufferers are the Scheduled Castes. The Dalits are subject to untouchability and other forms of discrimination despite these being declared unlawful. Even after 60 years, the CPI(M)’s assessment of the Indian State and society, remains spot on.

Great Musician M B Srinivasan’s Birth Centenary Observed

IT was an yet another morning for me on a Sunday during my college days in the late 1970s till I accidentally heard a very popular song by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi, 'Odi Vilayaadu pappa' (Keep running and playing, my little kid!) sung in a totally different manner by a mesmerising chorus of children, flowing out of a transistor at our house, broadcast by the Madras station of the AIR. It was so endearing to the heart that my quest yielded a host of other songs, interestingly, in multiple languages.

UN Finding of Gaza Genocide: India Must Fulfil Duties

At a national seminar organised by All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO) in Mumbai on October 4, 2025, senior lawyers and experts spoke on the legal consequences for India of the United Nations finding of genocide by Israel in Gaza.In introductory comments Dr Vivek Monteiro called out the duplicity of the present Indian government, of voting in favour of a ceasefire in December 2024 at the UN and then abstaining in a similar vote in June 2025.

Democracy, Not Dynasty

THE core principle of Rabindranath Tagore's "We Are All Kings in this Kingdom" (Amra sabai Raja amader ei Rajar rajotwe) that each person is a sovereign ruler in a true democracy is finding contemporary expression in the United States. While the U.S. government is imposing its imperialist aggression from Gaza to Venezuela, its citizens have taken to the streets in a renewed wave of protest against the Trump administration.

Shram Shakthi Niti 2025: Cocktail of Laissez Faire & Scriptures

UNION Ministry of Labour & Employment has released a draft policy titled Shram Shakthi Niti 2025. The context and purpose of the policy states that it is rooted in constitutional values of equality, justice and dignity. It derives its legitimacy and moral authority from the Constitution of India which lays foundation for a just, inclusive and welfare-oriented labour system with the Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles as the basis of Indian labour law governance.

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report Big protest action against bribery, drugs and crime against women THE CPI(M) in Tripura has organised a statewide protest movement on three key demands – dismissal of state minister Sudhangshu Das who admitted to accepting bribe from contractors and government suppliers, immediate identification and arrest of the drug-traffickers who transported two huge consignments of banned Eskuf cough syrup, and prompt action against the perpetrators of several recent dastardly... Read More	report SIR aims to overthrow democratic system, must be rolled back Read More	report Kochi Global City Project to generate 1.20 lakh direct jobs and 3.6 lakh indirect jobs Read More	PB Statements Ensure Ceasefire in Gaza Read More
PB Statements Oppose the Extension of SIR Read More