BJP Govt Mocks Peasant Protests by Announcing MSP below Cost of Production

AMIDST countrywide protests by farmers demanding fixing minimum support prices according to Swaminathan Commission recommendation of cost of cultivation (C2)+50 per cent ie, at least 50 per cent over and above the cost of production, the BJP government has made a mockery of the peasantry by announcing MSP of kharif crops for 2017-18, which is even far below cost of production. AIKS, in a statement issued on June 19, has condemned this insensitive move and approach of the BJP government towards the plight of the peasantry.There are a few things to be noted.

Rajasthan: Another Lynching

UNDER the BJP government in Rajasthan, killing by lynching is becoming a common occurrence. The latest shocking incident is the killing of Zafar Hussein, a CPI(ML) worker and trade union activist.

Why Presidential Contest?

THE nomination of Ram Nath Kovind as the presidential candidate of the BJP alliance confirms the expectation that the RSS would not let this opportunity slip by to place one of its men in the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the first time.The choice of Kovind is sought to be projected as the concern of the BJP for a dalit to occupy the highest office in the land.

Darjeeling: Hold Tripartite Talks

DARJEELING hills have been engulfed in a violent agitation which has paralysed normal life. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) call for an indefinite strike has shut down all activities. Three GJM supporters have died as a result of police firing and one police officer was killed.The GJM has revived its demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland. The agitation was sparked off by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s provocative statement that Bengali would be taught compulsorily in all schools in the state.

AIKS Team Meets Families of Farmers Killed in Mandsaur Police Firing

AN All India Kisan Sabha team visited Mandsaur on June 14 and met the families of farmers killed in police firing. They met the families of two martyrs Chain Ram Patidar (aged 23 years) at Nayakheda village in Neemuch district and Abhishek Patidar (aged 17 years) at Barkheda Panth in Mandsaur district and conveyed their condolences. The team met farmers and expressed solidarity with their struggle. Farmers explained their situation and said that unprovoked firing was with an intention to kill. Most of the injuries were above the waist, on the chest, head etc.

All-India Conference of Road Transport Workers’ Federation Held

THE 10TH national conference of the All India Road Transport Workers’ Federation (AIRTWF) was held in Visakhapatnam from June 4 to June 6. It began with a rally of 5,000-strong workers, which culminated with an open meeting at the Gandhi statue near the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation office. The delegate session was held at the Kalabharathi Auditorium in Maddilapalem, which was named as Sujit Das Nagar in memory of the founder-general secretary of the federation.

South Korea’s New President Aims to Restore Calm in the Korean Peninsula

THE victory of Moon Jae-in, former trade unionist and human rights activist in South Korea's presidential polls with a large majority, is the first bit of refreshing news to come out of the Korean peninsula this year. The region has been witnessing political turmoil and military tensions since last year. The newly elected president had vowed on the campaign trail that his first priory would be to restore calm in the Korean peninsula.

Slanderous Campaigns Against Muslims and the Facts

“HUM paanch, Hamare pachees” - Narendra Modi himself mocked the Muslim community. The slogan ‘Hum do hamare do’ (we two, our two) implied a couple of wife and husband having two children. Modi meant that a Muslim man generally was having four wives, this counted to five and these five persons were having a total twenty-five children. The then chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi made this comment in 2002. In February of that year, we witnessed the carnage in Gujarat after Godhra incident. The election was after few months. In several places, he was delivering speeches at that time.

PUNJAB: CPI(M) Holds Two-Day Organisational Plenum

THE two day organisational plenum of Punjab state committee of CPI(M) was held at Bhakna Bhawan in Chandigarh on June 9-10, to review the Party Organisation in Punjab in the light of directions and guidelines of the Kolkata Plenum. 115 delegates participated in the plenum from all the districts of Punjab.A presidium consisting of Vijay Misra (convenor), Raghunath Singh, Ram Singh Noorpuri, Bibi Subhash Mattoo and Gurdarshan Singh conducted the proceedings.Bant Singh Namol, veteran leader of the Party from Sangrur district unfurled the Party flag.

BRITISH GENERAL ELECTION FALL-OUT: A Government and State in Existential Crisis And the Roaring Return of Class Politics

IT will rank among the most calamitous of political blunders. The decision of British Prime Minister Theresa May to call a snap election to buttress her ‘hard’ bargaining stance in upcoming Brexit talks has blown up in her face, with consequences that continue to reverberate across the entire British state.The crisis, full-blown and multi-dimensional, reaches beyond matters of government survival, dubious backroom deals and unprecedented disruptions of longstanding constitutional procedures.

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