THE Kerala state conference of CPI(M), a prelude to the 22nd Party Congress, has culminated after scripting a new history of unity and a great advancement for the mass movement. Thrissur, the city of Pooram, has witnessed people turning up in lakhs for the public rally on February 25, the culminating day of the conference.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley presented the union budget 2018-19 in Lok Sabha on February 1 as a budget for ‘generation of employment, health protection of country’s 50 crore vulnerable people and huge relief to farmers’. The opposition dubbed it as an election ‘jumla’.
INDIA is witnessing a spring of massive agitations on different fronts against the anti-people policies of the Modi regime. These agitations clearly indicate that the people who were suffering under the policies of economic liberalisation and privatisation are mounting significant resistance as their means of livelihood are under direct threat from government policies. Young people of the country including students, workers and farmers are participating in these agitations in large numbers.
THE Delhi state committee of the CPI(M) held a demonstration in front of the Delhi Secretariat on the burning issues of the working people of the state, on February 22. Thousands of workers and activists participated in huge numbers demanding implementation of universal public distribution system in Delhi in its true letter and spirit. While protesters were moving towards the secretariat, police blocked them near the Express building. A protest meeting was held there.
THE meeting of the Central Trade Unions held on February 22 at the INTUC Office in New Delhi expressed indignation and strongly condemned the government of the day for their intensified attack on the lives and livelihood of the people and seriously compromising the national interest.
THE views aired by the chief economic advisor (CEA) to the central government and by the president of FICCI calling for privatisation of public sector banks have drawn the attention of the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI).
Centring round the recent episode of scam in some banks, the chief economic advisor to the government of India, has raised the question of ownership pattern of public sector banks (PSBs) meaning thereby that the central government should move first with its agenda for privatisation of the PSBs.
SIXTEEN days of agitation and strike has forced the state government of Haryana to hold talks with the leadership of ASHA workers and CITU on February 1 and concede the workers demands. The next day, that is on February 2, victory processions were taken out in all twenty one district head quarters by nearly 20,000 ASHA workers to celebrate their huge victory.
THE Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has taken a major decision to begin a ‘Long March’ on foot of over 50,000 peasants for a distance of nearly 200 km from Nashik to Mumbai, from March 6-12. Here the peasants will indefinitely gherao the state assembly which will then be in session, until their demands are met. This decision was taken in the extended meeting of the AIKS Maharashtra state council at Sangli on February 16, in which over 150 leading activists from 25 districts were present.
THE Modi government’s policy towards Pakistan has reached a dead end. Having called off the dialogue with Pakistan in August 2015, the government has steadfastly maintained that there can be no talks till terrorism stops. The surgical strikes across the Line of Control in September 2016 were touted to be India’s firm response to cross border terrorism. The then defence minister Manohar Parrikar claimed that after continuous ceasefire violations for the past few years, this was the only befitting reply.
THE formation of Bahujana Left Front (BLF) in Telangana has brought to the fore a question as to how Communists could work together with Ambedkarites. This question arose because of the ripples created by the coming together of these forces. Though they have been distant from each other for some time, the relationship among Ambedkarites, followers of Phule and communists is a natural phenomenon. Like science and technology, communist ideology also did not emerge just like that out of the blue.