THE last two months have seen a spate of mob attacks and lynchings in different parts of the country. This wave of shocking violence has led to the killing of at least 30 innocent people in 10 states over the months of May and June.
The mob attacks were sparked off by rumors of ‘child lifting’ sent out through WhatsApp messaging service. In incident after incident “strangers” who appear in villages or small towns are suspected of being child snatchers, set upon by crowds and beaten to death or seriously injured.
SOCIALISM has collapsed over large tracts of the globe. Where it still exists, the economic regimes have undergone considerable reforms. Not surprisingly therefore the old socialist regimes are objects of much vilification these days. While capitalism, understandably, has a vested interest in promoting such vilification, the Left opponents of capitalism continue to remain too shell-shocked to counter it.
“YOU could start an article on the news pages with that same line but they fit on the sports pages too because these are turbulent times for our football.”
EVEN as the AIADMK is drawing flak for Tuticorin massacre, the Tamil Nadu government has embarked on another step of its anti-people measures by announcing an 8-lane national highway connecting Chennai and Salem.
The proposed 8 lane highway, with a width of 900 meters for a distance of 277.3 kms at a cost of about Rs 11,000 crores, the highway, totaling about 2,343 hectares of land is proposed to run across five districts namely Kancheepuram, Tiruvannamalai, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Salem districts in Tamil Nadu.
THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions, All India Kisan Sabha and All India Agricultural Workers’ Union have decided to organise a massive ‘Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Rally’ before parliament on September 5, against the government’s anti-worker, anti-peasant and anti-people policies of the government. In a press conference held jointly by the CITU, AIKS and AIAWU in New Delhi on June 21, it was declared that workers, employees, farmers and agricultural workers from all over the country will participate in the rally.
A MEETING of the central office bearers of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) held on June 26 in New Delhi decided to support the idea of a long march of the dispossessed to Delhi to demand a special session of parliament called entirely to discuss the serious agrarian crisis in the country.
THE Modi government has decided to directly administer Jammu & Kashmir through governor’s rule. This is the outcome of the BJP’s withdrawal from the coalition government headed by Mehbooba Mufti.
ALMOST everybody has a theory on health and very often commonly held beliefs that underline such theories are irrational and unscientific. People will, however, cling to their pet beliefs with the argument that they know something works (or doesn’t work) from personal experience. Beliefs and practices are socially constructed and change over time as material conditions change.