The Carnage and Outrage in Assam's BTAD

THE Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) in lower Assam which had witnessed carnage over the years have, once again, been transformed into a killing zone since May 1 last. The memories of the 2008 ethnic and communal clashes in Darrang-Udalguri districts and the gruesome incidents of the 2012 July-August riots in Kokrajhar-Chirang-Baksa districts within BTAD are still fresh in the minds of the people. The 2012 riots left over 100 dead and 4.85 lakh displaced, some of whom even today live in refugee camps.

Dastardly Honour Killing of Dalit Youth

CPI(M) Calls for Statewide Protest

Red Flag Needed in these Uncertain Times Barrackpore Fights Back

THESE ‘coolie lines’ are mini-India. Not that ‘mini’ though, hundreds living in shanty rooms, busy local markets, life tuned to working hours of the jute mills, growth and decline of the jute economy. You can hear overlapping of Hindi of Samastipur, Odishi of Keonjhar, Telugu of Nellore, Urdu and slashing Bengali at the same time. ‘Coolie’ is a term, the legacy of which dates back to the opening of a series of jute mills beside the river Ganges by British entrepreneurs in Barrackpore.

India no Exception in Having Flawed Leaders

THERE is still an ongoing debate in the US and in some key European countries on the question of the 2002 Gujarat riots and the role of the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate in the bloodletting. There are signs that that Washington, London and Berlin are already mellowing in their attitude towards Narendra Modi, but civil society in those countries is reluctant to give the Gujarat chief minister a clean chit In the first week of April, a US congressional panel — the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) — has started hearings on religious freedom in India.

RTE Struggle Scores Successes, Exposes Corrupt Nexus

THE struggle for implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act for the “disadvantaged groups” and “weaker sections” --- as given in the act and upheld by the Supreme Court --- is being carried out for the third successive year in Mumbai and receiving an overwhelming response from the downtrodden sections. The movement has widened in scope as well as intensity during these three years, with more and more parents coming forward to avail of free education for their children.

TNUEF Ensures Social Justice In Pandyan Grama Bank

THE cry for reservation in the private sector is growing louder. Promises were made during the election campaign. But, the very fundamental question still remains. That is, whether the existing policy of reservation in government and public sector is being implemented in its true spirit or not. The experience shows it is not.

May Day – A Unique Celebration in a Kerala Village

MAY Day is the day of struggle, solidarity and also celebration for the working people all over the world. It is 125 years that the day is being observed, celebrated internationally

REMOVING POVERTY THROUGH SPURIOUS STATISTICS

A REPORT in The Hindu (May 6) suggests that the Planning Commission is at its old game again which is to “remove” poverty in the country through a sleight-of-hand, by taking recourse to spurious statistics. Consumption expenditure estimates from National Accounts Statistics show a far higher level than those arrived at on the basis of the National Sample Survey.

CPI(M) Demands Re-Poll In 301 Booths in Bengal

THE CPI(M) has demanded re-poll in 301 booths in five Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal for which elections were held on May 7. In a memorandum submitted to the Election Commission, the Party has said that rigging and violence in the elections held on May 7, have completely distorted the process of conducting free and fair polls. The Party has said that for the restoration of the people’s faith in the electoral process, it is essential that re-poll is conducted in the booths where rigging has taken place.

People’s Wave Seeking Relief

AS we go to press, the penultimate eighth phase of this marathon nine-phase general election has been completed. Though only one phase is left, this would be a decisive phase in certain states like West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. While the polls have, by and large, not been marred by large-scale violence and terror, there have been notable exceptions. During the last phase, the third phase in West Bengal, large-scale reports of terror intimidation and booth capturing by the ruling party in the state, Trinamool Congress, have been reported.

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