MODI government, elected the second time, has become tyrannical and started demolishing the foundation of the Indian Constitution in a pre-designed manner, said Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat at a public meeting held in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu on August 24. The country’s economy is in doldrums and the government has failed to provide a tangible solution to the crisis. It is imperative that the increase of such onslaughts will cause the public to explode against the government and people will surely descend on streets against this tyranny, he said. 

THE strike of the defence employees has been deferred/postponed by the three major unions and Confederation of Defence Recognised Association (CDRA) that were spearheading it. On August 23, a meeting with secretary, defence production, was held in which this decision was taken to postpone the strike on the assurance given by the government through the secretary. The secretary apprised the union leadership that ‘no final decision’ has been taken to privatise or corporatise the ordnance factories in the country.

THOUSANDS of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA workers) staged a sit-in dharna at Vijayawada on August 26 demanding release of their wages that are pending for the last eight months. They also opposed the grading system introduced recently by the government intending to harass them and is a threat to their job security. Police detained many ASHA workers in their respective districts from 25th itself. Family members of ASHAs also were taken into custody at some places. In spite of repression, thousands of workers reached the dharna chowk at Vijayawada from early hours of 26th.

THE All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), in a statement issued on August 29, has strongly condemned the decision of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of reinstating and promoting Laxman Savadi in the government. He has shown scant respect for constitutional propriety and women when he was a member of the Karnataka state assembly earlier.

The BJP has once again shown its total disrespect for women by making Laxman Savadi, the deputy chief minister of Karnataka.

THIRD state conference of TNUEF was held on August 15-17 at Thanjavur, in the Cauvery Delta, soil of heroic struggle of poor agricultural labourers against both economic and social oppression, led by P Seenivasa Rao and P S Dhanuskodi.