AS per the call given by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Goa state unit of the party organised four demonstrations before the offices of the subdivisional officers (SDOs) of Bicholim, Ponda, Quepem and Mormugao on May 20, 21, 22 and 23, 2013. the purpose was to highlight the party’s position on various political, social and economic issues affecting the life of the common citizens of India and Goa, as also to protest against the anti-people policies of the central government and the Goa government.
RULING Trinamul Congress has unleashed a spate of terror in Howrah ahead of parliamentary by-elections there. Elections will be held on June 2.
As the campaign picked up, TMC hooligan squads began to attack CPI(M) activists and sympathisers to obstruct political campaign. In many areas, TMC hoodlums are creating obstacles in the campaign of Left Front candidate Srideep Bhattacharya. TMC has unleashed hoodlums who are tearing banners, defacing wall writings. They are also moving house to house threatening Left Front workers and sympathizers, to create an atmosphere of fear.
ADDING to the worries of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and its state government, Kerala Congress (B) leader R Balakrishnan Pillai demanded on May 27 re-induction of his son, K B Ganesh Kumar, into the ministry. Ganesh Kumar was forced to quit the ministry after the charges of domestic violence was brought against him two months back.
WITH the Mumbai Indians crowned champions at the final at Eden Gardens, the sixth season of IPL comes to an end. But as it was never free of controversies, this series too had its share of scandals; apart from the fact that this time the cricketing aspect was clearly overshadowed by one of the biggest sporting controversies in the history of the game. With the Lords Gate scandal still fresh in their memories, the average cricket lovers are stuck in a dilemma on whether to believe the scoreboard anymore or not.
'ARE you curious to know', Eduardo Galeano seems to ask in his new book, Children of the Days, A Calendar of Human History. He is, of course, passionate to answer. Galeano quotes Albert Einstein, who was constantly watched by the US secret service agents for his closeness to the communists and whose brain is preserved for research for an explanation of his genius: “I have no special gift. I am only passionately curious”. Galeano is also passionately curious about human history, struggles and evolution.
THE Democratic Youth Federation of India held its Fourth All India Young Women’s Convention in Mumbai on May 25-26. Apart from central executive committee members of the organisation, 94 delegates from various states assembled for the convention at Lakshmi Sehgal Nagar (Aarsh Vidyalaya Campus, Chembur).
ALL over the media, the government is cooing, Meelon hum aagaye, meelon hume jaana hai ‘we have travelled miles, but we have miles to go'. Of course, this propaganda campaign instantly drew a parody from some ingenious thinker, who converted it: 'we have eaten millions, but millions more are to be eaten'. This parody, in fact, truly captures the real story of the UPA.
Dr Vina Mazumdar, prominent academic, a pioneer in Women’s Studies in India and a leading figure of the democratic women’s movement, died in New Delhi on May 30, 2013. She was the secretary of the first Committee on the Status of Women in India, whose report on the conditions of women in the country made a direct contribution to the development of the women’s movement. We pay tributes to her memory.
Prakash Karat, general secretary of the CPI(M), attended the funeral of Dr Vina Mazumdar.
STRUGGLING masses of Tripura set a new record in the history of struggles on May 28. Braving the burning heat of May and incessant rain in different parts of the state, more than 1,76,000 people courted arrest participating in the mass Satyagraha movement at the call of the CPI(M). The thundering call of the fighting masses was loud and clear: the Congress government should immediately respond to the urgent demands or quit office.
