Political Developments in Bihar And the Significance of Left Unity

THE 16th Lok Sabha elections have brought about a sea-change in the political landscape of Bihar and have posed a serious challenge before the Left forces in particular and the secular forces in general.The break-up in the JD(U)-BJP alliance during the last Lok Sabha elections after 17 long years of togetherness and the decimation of the JD(U) on one hand and the RJD-Congress combine on the other by the BJP and its alliance partners, paved the way for a future re-alignment of political forces in the state.

LDF Victory all over Kerala in Local body By-elections

THE Left Democratic Front has registered an emphatic victory in the by-elections held on August 12 for various local bodies. The LDF has wrested 18 seats out of 26. The UDF got only eight seats. The LDF’s victory spree spread in almost all districts from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur.

Comrade Vijender Sharma

COMRADE Vijender Sharma, secretariat member of the CPI(M) Delhi state committee and veteran leader of the university and college teachers’ movement passed away on August 9, 2014 after bravely battling cancer for over eight months. He was 63. His demise is an irreparable loss to both the Party and the university and college teachers’ movement.

Duplicitous US Intervention in Iraq

THE United States has launched air strikes in Iraq against the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS). President Obama has ordered this military action in Iraq, the first since its withdrawal of ground troops from the country in 2011. The Islamic extremist forces have been advancing towards Baghdad and Irbil in Kurdistan after occupying a substantial part of northern Iraq. The Obama administration had earlier sent special forces who are operating from two centres in Baghdad and Irbil.

CPI(M) Stand on Appointment & Accountability of Judges

The following is the text of the letter sent to the union law minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad by CPI(M) general secretary, Prakash Karat, spelling out the CPI(M) stand on the appointment and accountability of judges. The letter was sent on July 30, 2014.

I THANK you for your letter dated July 17, 2014, seeking our Party’s view on the subject of appointment of judges and how to provide for accountability of judges.

Central Committee Communique

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi from August 8 to 10, 2014.

Rouse World Public Opinion Against Israeli Aggression

WITH Israel-Gaza conflict claiming nearly 1,400 Palestinians lives, theatre personalities, activists and musicians today organised a cultural protest on July 31 against Israel and in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The celebrities sung songs with "anti-war" lyrics and recited "pro-peace poems" at an event in the backdrop of pictures of the violence intertwined in barbed wires and keffiyehs (scarfs worn by Palestinian men and a symbol of Palestinian nationalism during the Arab Revolt of the 1930s) hung from above as a mark of protest. Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore recited poems on th

Boko Haram: The West Intervenes

IT took more than a month for the international community to wake up to the plight of the more than 200 girls kidnapped by the Nigerian Islamist group, Boko Haram. Pictures of the American First Lady, Michelle Obama and leading show business personalities with posters demanding freedom for the girls has finally galvanised public opinion world wide. The “Bring Back our Girls” campaign had originated in Nigeria soon after the incident happened. The Nigerian army has so far failed miserably either to rescue the girls or prevent more Boko Haram atrocities in the north east of the country.

‘Refrain from Making Unilateral Moves to Amend Labour Laws’

IN a letter to union minister of labour and employment Narendra Singh Tomar, CITU general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Tapan Sen has condemned the government’s unilateral move to amend various labour laws including The Factories Act, The Apprenticeship Act, and The Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns & Maintenance of Registers by Certain Establishments) Amendment Bill.

The CAG Exposes the Plight Of the Urban Poor in Delhi

THE first set of reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in 2014 have exposed the state and local government’s negligence towards the urban poor in the National Capital Region. Though the corporate media has largely highlighted the failures of the previous state government, it must be noted that the BJP run municipal corporations have also been indicted by the CAG.

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