IN 1922, the renowned Bengali satirist Rajsekhar Basu (better known by his pen name Parshuram) penned the delightful story ‘Shri Shri Siddheshwari Limited,’ introducing the infamous fictional character of Ganderiram Batparia (where "Batparia" translates to "unscrupulous plunderer" in Bengali). Ganderiram was not just a conman; he was a bold risk-taker, a master of fraudulent business schemes. The story describes his impact as: "The moment the audacious entrepreneur Ganderiram stepped onto the scene, the entire atmosphere crackled with energy, as if lightning had struck.

THE aim of all fascistic governments is to disempower the people; and the Modi government is no exception. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) which promised one member in every rural household a maximum of 100 days of employment per year was a demand-driven scheme. In a limited sense therefore it gave people a right to employment, not to everyone and not for as many days as a person wanted; but a right nonetheless.

THE CBI's inability to submit an additional (supplementary) chargesheet within the given 90-day timeframe has resulted in bail on December 13 for both Sandip Ghosh (former RG Kar Hospital principal) and Abhijit Mandal (former OC, Tala Police Station) in the RG Kar trainee physician's rape and murder case. While Sandip Ghosh remains in custody due to other pending cases, Abhijit Mandal is now free.Despite CBI's repeated accusations in court that Sandip Ghosh and Abhijit Mandal tampered with evidence and delayed the FIR, the agency failed to submit the additional chargesheet on time.

THE 24th State Conference of the Puducherry committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was held on November 30 and December 1, 2024, at the Comrade Sitharam Yechury Memorial Hall, in Puducherry. Memorial torches in honour of Comrade Sankarayya and Comrade Sitaram Yechury were brought from Mannadipet and Bahoor, respectively, and were used to light the Martyrs' Column. The July 30 Martyrs’ Memorial Torch of Pondicherry, brought from the premises of the Mudaliyarpet textile industry, was also received and lit at the column.A rousing mass rally marked the beginning of the conference.

IN preparation for the 24th state conference of the CPI(M) scheduled for  January 29-31, 2025, the primary unit and local committee conferences have been successfully completed. Currently, the sub-divisional and district-level conferences are going on across the state.Prior to the commencement of the primary unit conferences, a set of guidelines, based on the framework prepared by the Polit Bureau and aligned with the state’s political and organisational situation, was circulated across all levels of the Party.