Connectivities a Must for State’s Development

On behalf of the whole council of ministers in the state, a group of ministers from Tripura submitted on June 21, 2013 the following memorandum to the president of India, when he was on a visit to the state. The memorandum sought to draw the president’s attention to the myriad problems the state has been facing ever since the partition of the country.

Army must Ensure Justice for Women

THROUGH a letter addressed to A K Antony, defence minister in the government of India, on June 27, 2013, several national level organisations of women have demanded justice for the victims of Kunan Poshpora rape case in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The letter reminded the defence minister that the said rapes had much to do with the security forces of the central government. As it happened, some of the security personnel of 4th Rajputana Rifles went in search of militants to the village of Kunan Poshpora on February 23-24, 1991.

BSNL Workers to Donate for Disaster Victims

IN this connection, V A N Namboodiri, convener of the Forum of BSNL Unions & Associations, too has informed that, motivated by the said Forum, employees of the public sector Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) have taken due note of the serious situation in Uttarakhand and the requirement of funds for rehabilitation of the affected people, and have unanimously decided to donate one say’s pay each to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. This will be deducted from the employees’ salaries for the month of June and remitted to the PM’s Relief Fund.

Proactive Diplomacy Expected from India

Sitaram Yechury, a member of the CPI(M) Polit Bureau and leader of the CPI(M) group in Rajya Sabha, wrote on June 21, 2013 the following letter to the prime minister on the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils.

IT was a relief to hear your comments expressing dismay, as reported by the media, at the suggestion that the government of Sri Lanka planned to dilute certain key provisions of the 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution ahead of elections to the northern provincial council.

AIKS Units to Mobilise Relief

THROUGH a statement issued from New Delhi on June 26, the All India Kisan Sabha has expressed its condolences to the families of the victims of unprecedented national calamity in Uttarakhand. The tragedy is of a hitherto unheard of scale, and the destruction of homes and livelihoods is massive. As the tragedy unfolds, it is bringing forward the fact that the actual number of dead could be much higher. Parts of Himachal Pradesh have also been affected. The AIKS has conveyed its solidarity with the millions of the affected people.

Oommen Chandy Should Resign

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement on June 21, 2013.

IN view of the serious allegations raised against Shri Oommen Chandy, the chief minister of Kerala, about his alleged links with the perpetrators of the multi-crore solar power scam, the LDF in Kerala has asked for his resignation and a judicial probe into the matter. The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that the chief minister should immediately step down from his post pending a judicial probe into the matter.

On Uttarakhand Tragedy

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement on June 21, 2013.

THE horror and immense tragedy of the loss of human lives and unprecedented destruction of homes and livelihoods in the Kedarnath, Chamoli and other regions of Uttarakhand is still unfolding. The numbers of those killed is rising every day. The urgency of immediate rescue and evacuation operations for the thousands who are stranded cannot be emphasised enough. The central government must extend its full support to the state government including for funds and materials.

Left Parties Convention on July 1

THE Left parties – CPI(M), CPI, AIFB and RSP – are holding a National Political Convention on July 1, 2013 at New Delhi. This Convention comes at a time when the political situation is witnessing changes and a realignment of forces is going to take place. Both the UPA and the NDA have been beset with internal contradictions and have shrunk in size with parties leaving these alliances. The Congress and the BJP are both essentially representing the same class interests and stand for the same policies.

Desist from Hiking KG Basin Gas Price: Left

THE four Left parties, namely the CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc, have demanded that the UPS government must desist from hiking the price of natural gas as it would have a horrible impact on the whole of our economy. At a media conference organised at A K Gopalan Bhavan in New Delhi on June 24, leaders of the four Left parties raised questions about the undue haste the government, and in particular the finance ministry and Planning Commission, are displaying for effecting such a hike in order to enable a particular corporate house to reap windfall profits.

Political Ecology of Pilgrimage and Its Hazards

CORPORATE media’s coverage of the havoc caused by the cloud burst in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh has largely concentrated on two aspects. The first has been on the plight of the tourists and pilgrims in these regions and the government’s “inability to provide adequate relief.” The second has been the focus on the relationship between environment and development in the making of the natural disasters. English media channels have been quick to term the disaster as a ‘man-made’ one that emanates from the harnessing of the rivers through large hydropower projects.

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