50 Years of People’s Democracy

50 Years of Relentless Struggle
Sitaram Yechury

WITH this issue, People’s Democracy, the central organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), turns 50 years old! Since June 27, 1965, every week dated Sunday, People’s Democracy (PD) has come out regularly. Except when an issue was skipped (like on occasions when Party Congresses are held), the PD continued to reach its readers regularly during these 2,600 weeks.

DSMM Holds Dharna at Jodhpur Collectorate

At the call of the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch (DSMM), hundreds of people demonstrated at the Jodhpur divisional headquarters on June 16. They attempted to barge into the collectorate when they were stopped from entering it.DSMM Convenor Kishan Meghawal said that the dalits in the area are facing planned attacks almost every day. Under the patronage of ministers, administrative officials and police officers, a parallel mafia administration is running. The purpose behind this is to keep control of the land belonging to the dalits which is in possession of the upper castes.

India Misses J. N. Dixit as NSA

The Indian discourses on Myanmar are increasingly looking surreal. The official mantra is that New Delhi and the leadership in Myanmar (dominated by the military) have one hell of a Faustian deal between them to crush the Naga insurgent groups advocating separatism within Myanmar and in India.

Achche Din for Corporates & Sangh Parivar, Bure Din with a Vengeance for the Masses

AS expected, the Narendra Modi-led BJP/NDA central government launched a propaganda blitzkrieg in both print and electronic media on the completion of its one year in office on May 26, 2015. Modi himself addressed a rally in Mathura. It was announced that BJP central ministers would address 200 rallies and 200 press conferences all over the country to propagate the ‘achievements’ of the Modi regime. But unlike the pure hype generated in the election campaign a year ago, the propaganda this time had lost much of its sheen.

Fact Finding Team to Narmada–SSP Affected Areas Releases Report

THE ground level fact finding report from Sardar Sarovar Project Submergence Areas in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat titled ‘Drowning a Valley: Destroying a Civilisation” was released on June 13 at Indian Women’s Press Corps by the Fact Finding team who visited the villages on May 9-10, 2015. A 20 minute short film shot on the governmental decision to raise the height of the SSP from 121.92 mts to its full height of 138.68 mts by Anil Anand and Ramesh Pimple was also screened at the same.

Uttarakhand: CPI(M) Observes Month-long Vigil To Commemorate Rawain Insurrection

IN 1930, every attempt was made to suppress the news when 100 farmers protesting against the forest policies were cut down by police bullets because they wanted justice against the arbitrary writs of their masters, who wanted to snatch from them what was naturally theirs and not for some tax surveyor to levy a cess on.

BJP Govt Betrays Farmers in Distress Yet Again

THE BJP-led NDA government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have yet again betrayed the farmers in distress by going back on their promise of fixing remunerative minimum support prices (MSP) at least 50 percent above the cost of production. The MSP announced for Kharif crops 2015-16 does not meet even the cost of production and in most cases the increase is ranging merely from Rs15 to Rs 50 per quintal. In a press statement issued on June 17, the All India Kisan Sabha said that this does not reflect the actual costs of production and increasing input costs.

Chandrababu Naidu in Deep Trouble

ANDHRA Pradesh chief minister Chandrababbu Naidu is in deep trouble. For the first time in his over 35 year long political career, he has been caught in a corrupt act with clinching proof. Audio tapes of Naidu’s telephonic conversation with a nominated MLA Stephenson, which directly link him to the ‘cash-for-vote’ case, surfaced on June 8.

On the Political Developments in Bihar

ELECTION bugle has been sounded in Bihar. Each and every party worth the name has started preparing its political strategy to face the coming assembly elections by posing itself as a savior of a particular caste as caste mobilisation plays a crucial role in Bihar politics due to the structurally entrenched feudal system dominating the day-to-day life of common people of Bihar.With the coming together of the RJD & JD(U) the caste mobilisation has got further impetus.

A Deep Insult and Permanent Injury to FTII

IN its ‘crusade’ against the intellectual life of the nation and the institutional framework purported to nurture the same, the Modi government and the Sangh Parivar has taken one more victim. This time it is the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), one of the most revered institutes in imparting education in film making, not only in India, but in the whole of Asia.It has appointed Gajendra Chouhan as the chairperson of the governing council of FTII.

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