ON May 15, 2026, all of rural India echoed with the voices of agricultural and rural workers demanding reinstatement of MGNREGA and roll back of VB-GRAM (G). Tens of lakhs of workers participated in the strike called by the joint platform of agricultural and rural workers’ unions and the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha. In thousands of villages, MGNREGA workers along with many agricultural and rural workers gathered together outside gram panchayats protesting and demonstrating and submitting a memorandum of their demands to the Panchayat Presidents.

GEOPOLITICAL conflicts affect the lives of people who hardly have any role in initiating the conflict. The ruling class of conflicting nations engage in wars and the burden of the disruptions caused in the process is asymmetrically imposed upon common people. The national leaders of Israel and the US decided to attack Iran out of desperation as both could sense a decline of their control over the Middle East. According to official statements it was to salvage the Iranian people from the tyranny of Islamic rule. They didn’t succeed.

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on May 15, 2026.

THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the Union government’s decision to hike the prices of petrol, diesel and CNG.  The hike of ₹3 per litre in petrol and diesel and ₹2 per kg in CNG will impose more burdens on the working people already reeling under inflation, unemployment, stagnant wages and deepening economic distress.

For over 22 lakh students who appeared for the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test - Under Graduate (NEET-UG) on May 3, 2026, across India, the decision by the National Testing Agency (NTA) to cancel the examination came as a traumatic turn. Through years and months of preparation, depriving themselves of entertainment, social life and relationships, the aspirants readily dedicated themselves to fulfilling their dream of becoming doctors.

After prolonged infighting and uncertainty that mocked the public mandate, the Congress finally picked V D Satheesan as its leader in the Kerala Assembly. He took oath as the chief minister on May 18, two weeks after the Assembly election results were announced. Leveraging intense pressure from allies including the Muslim League and support from senior leaders, Satheesan secured the chief minister’s chair by outmaneuvering K C Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala.