The Bolsheviks under Lenin’s leadership had opposed the participation of Tsarist Russia in the First World War. Lenin had declared the war to be an “imperialist war” which had destroyed the lives of millions of workers who were drafted by the imperialist governments in Europe as soldiers to fight the war.Unlike the Social democrats of various European countries, the Bolsheviks opposed the war and called for an end to the conflict.

The same term is often employed by different people with different meanings, and this can be a source of immense confusion. The World Bank has done this to good effect in the past, taking over terms that are being used in a particular sense, especially by the Left, and using them in a very different sense, in order to create deliberate confusion and exploit in some way the sympathetic feeling that the term had attracted from people in its initial usage. “Structural adjustment” is a prime example of such appropriation by the World Bank.

The government is increasingly resorting to the money bill route to avoid the Rajya Sabha having any say in the legislation making process. Since the BJP-led government has no majority in the Rajya Sabha, it has been resorting to the device of the “Money Bill” to overcome this hurdle. All democratic forces must extend support to the demand that the misuse of the money bill be ended forthwith.The Modi government is systematically downgrading the Rajya Sabha by misusing the definition of “Money Bill” to get legislations passed in parliament by bypassing the upper house.

The Supreme Court on February 14 has convicted Sasikala setting aside the Karnataka High Court verdict acquitting her in the 18 year-old disproportionate assets case that also involved the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa. The CPI(M) has welcomed the Supreme Court judgement and said this serves as a warning to all those in public life who indulge in corruption.After 18 years of legal proceedings, Justice Michael D' Cunha in 2015 convicted former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Sasikala, Sudhakaran and Ilavarasi, in a disproportionate assets case.

The entire South India has been facing massive droughts including Tamil Nadu. CPI(M) is holding a state wide protest in Tamil Nadu demanding higher compensation (Rs 10 lakhs) for families of those farmers who have died and is also demanding 200 days of employment guarantee under MNREGA. Road roko is being staged all over the state in which thousands of people have participated and have been arrested.