THE Financial Times of London is one of the most “respectable” bourgeois newspapers in the world. Even this newspaper has now come to recognise something which the Left has been saying for quite some time. In an editorial on April 3, 2020, it wrote: “Radical reforms in reversing the prevailing policy direction of the last four decades will need to be put on the table. Governments will have to accept a more active role in the economy. They must see public services as investment rather than as liabilities and look for ways to make the labour market less insecure.

THE Electricity Amendment Bill introduced by the central government should be withdrawn forthwith, the CPI(M) demanded. Statewide protests with placards were held. On May 24, decrying the Modi government’s actions, a protest was held at the RTC cross roads with placards. CPI(M) state secretary, Tammineni Veerabhadram expressed anxiety  that this bill violates the rights of the states and is against the interests of the states. Encroaching into the subjects within the state jurisdiction seems to be the main objective of the centre, he warned.

ON May 20, 2020 various Left students’ organisations along with the elected students’ unions across the country under the banner of ‘All India Forum to Save Public Education’ gave a nationwide protest call, demanding safe return of students stuck outside, rejecting online examination and against the political targeting of student activists. The demands of fee waivers for current semester and immediate disbursement of fellowships were also raised. The campaign received huge participation across the country.

THE moratorium declared on Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative(PMC) Bank in September 2019 had sent shock waves throughout the country.  The depositors of this bank could not withdraw more than Rs 50,000.  Deposits of about Rs 12,000 crore got stuck up and due to this abominable situation, nearly 10 depositors lost their precious lives.  The PMC crisis brought the concern about limit of the DICGC (Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation-owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India) coverage of one lakh rupees to the public domain and that eventually made the government raise the lim

THE nationwide protest by peasants and agricultural workers on May 27, 2020 witnessed unprecedented turnout. People came out in large numbers to express their anger against the Narendra Modi led BJP government and different state governments that have remained insensitive to their plight.