Undermining Parliament

EditorialTHE second half of the budget session of parliament has become notable for the manner in which the Modi government has subverted parliamentary norms and procedures. Since the session began on March 5, there were disruptions in both the houses of parliament on a daily basis. The main reason for this being the protest launched by the YSR Congress Party and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which was till then a partner of the ruling NDA on special category status for Andhra Pradesh. There were other issues such as the Punjab National Bank scam which also agitated the m

Observe Protest Day on April 2: DSMM

THE Dalit Shoshit Mukti Manch (DSMM), in a statement issued on March 28, has called upon all its units throughout the country to observe protest day on April 2 against the dilution of the provisions of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act because of the ruling of a two member bench of the Supreme Court. The DSMM supports the demand to include the PoA in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. This will effectively protect the PoA from any dilution.

TELANGANA: BLF is for Rebellion against Caste and Gender Oppression

CASTE dominance is a pest. It is the darling child of Manuvad. Manuvad suppressed not only dalits and weaker sections but also women. Suppression of women was practised in Hinduism through Manuvad but male dominance is there in all religions. Male dominance is there within the caste system also. There is no equality for women.Women do not have an equal status in any class or social section. Dominant castes treat dalits as slaves. Capitalists exploit the labour by treating them as slaves. Surprisingly these ‘slaves’ treat their wives as their slaves.

Commoditisation and the Public Sphere

CENTRAL to liberalism is a distinction between two spheres, the sphere of the market (or more generally of the economy) where individuals and firms interact to exchange their wares; and the sphere of public discourse where individuals interact as citizens of a polity to debate and determine the actions of the State. The importance that liberals attach to this second sphere was underscored by Walter Bagehot, the nineteenth century British essayist of liberal persuasion, who had lauded democracy as “government by discussion”.

Condemning Communal Riots in Parts of West Bengal

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) currently in session in New Delhi has expressed deep shock and anguish over the continuing communal violence in parts of West Bengal. It has issued the following statement on March 29.THE communal disturbances in parts of West Bengal started with the violent manner in which Ram Navami was sought to be celebrated by the RSS-led organisations and BJP.

Hacking Democracy with Big Data, Fake News and Big Money

STARTING with the Channel 4 exposé of Cambridge Analytica, and now the NaMo app that sends data to Clevertap.com, we are beginning to realise the impact of big data on elections. If we combine this with fake news – the recent MIT report that shows how fake or false news travels faster, deeper and wider than real news – we realise the danger of uncontrolled use of new technologies.

BAA Condemns Saffron Terror in North East

THE Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, in a statement issued on March 23, has publicly condemned the rise of saffron terror in North East and the denial of special category to NE states. It condemned the state sponsored atrocities in Tripura after the BJP government came into power and in order to saffronise the politics and society, it has been actively eliminating opposition and dissenting voices from the state.

Eminent Scientists Support March for Science 2018

OVER 200 eminent scientists all over India have endorsed the call by the All India Peoples Science Network and other organisations to “March for Science” in India on April 14 in as many centres as possible.

DSMM Holds Demonstration on Parliament Street

HUNDREDS of activists belonging to Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch demonstrated in front of parliament on March 21, demanding revival of SC Sub Plan in its true letter and spirit and against violence on dalits in the country. It is shocking to note that a crime is committed against dalits in every 15 minutes in India. And six dalit women are raped every day, according to the official statistics.

FOLA-India Holds Seminar on Women in Socialist Movements

FRIENDS of Latin America-India – (FOLA-India) has organised a seminar titled “Women in Socialist Movements” on March 19, at JBMRC Auditorium in Kolkata. The seminar was organised jointly with the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta. The official message from the collective of the Cuban Embassy in India on the occasion of the seminar was read at the beginning of the seminar.

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