THE 21st Maharashtra state conference of the CPI(M) began on March 14, 2015 – the death anniversary of Karl Marx and the birth anniversary of Albert Einstein – with a massive rally of over 20,000 people at Kalwan in Nashik district. The large gathering comprised mainly adivasi peasants from all the rural tehsils of Nashik district. Kalwan (ST) is the state assembly constituency that was won by J P Gavit for the CPI(M) last year in October 2014.
PEOPLE in Kerala wholeheartedly welcomed DYFI’s action against the authoritarianism over food. The beef festival programme organised in Thiruvananthapuram by the DYFI state Committee and in many college campuses all over the state by the SFI has attracted thousands of people, especially youth and students to this form of struggle.
By attending the beef festival, people across the party lines, underlined that they will not allow any move to impose food habits and will fight for food democracy.
THE J&K State Committee of CPI(M) reiterated its stand that Article 370 cannot be abrogated, as this is the only link between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India. The state secretary of the Party, M Y Tarigami alongwith Sham Prasad Kesar and MYG Nairang, senior leaders of the Party addressed a news conference in Jammu on March 12.
HUNDREDS of Delhi Airport workers under the banner of Airport Employees Union (CITU) held a demonstration before the office of Union Labour Ministry, in New Delhi on March 2 against the termination of contract workers who are working as loaders & packers with the Airport Authority of India and Indian Airlines at the IGI Airport in Delhi. The workers were arrested by the police.
ARE right-wingers dumber than others? How else can we explain the tenacity with which a set of them hold on to beliefs in flying machines and genetics 7,000 years back; deny evolution; climate change? Why do the right, confronted with evidence contrary to their belief systems, prefer to invent their own facts?
THE victory of a Left Alliance, Syriza, in the Greek elections on January 25, was a matter of great significance, especially because that victory was based on a promise that Syriza would get rid of the memoranda imposing austerity on Greece by the “Troika” (the European Union, the European Central Bank and the IMF). Syriza’s victory was thus expressive of a popular revolt against neo-liberalism.Upon coming to power Syriza wanted to end all existing agreements with the “troika” on the grounds that these had been decisively rejected by the Greek people.
THE call for one day strike on March 9, 2015 received overwhelming response from the employees of the Life Insurance Corporation and the four public sector general insurance companies across the country.
WEST Bengal witnessed waves of protest condemning the brutal incident of rape of a 71-year-old nun in a Convent school in Ranaghat, Nadia. The chief minister herself faced the wrath of local people, including school students in Ranaghat when she visited the spot. Thousands of people blocked her car for more than an hour demanding immediate arrest of the culprits. Protestors raised slogans, “Chief Minister Go Back” and “We Want Justice”. An enraged chief minister, instead of pacifying the hurt people, threatened them and blamed the CPI(M) and the BJP for organising such protests.
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on March 13.
THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the Chandy government’s use of police to brutally attack LDF MLAs inside the assembly and against the public outside the assembly premises. LDF MLAs and the people were protesting demanding that Finance Minister KM Mani should not place the budget as there is a vigilance probe against him which was instituted by the UDF government on allegations of corruption.
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on March 19, 2015.
THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the police raid on the CPI(M) state committee office in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. The police broke open the door and damaged furniture in the office and arrested more than a dozen people including the SFI all India president, Sivadasan. Those arrested including the SFI president were beaten in police custody.