AS a follow up of the historic kisan long march from Nashik to Mumbai from March 6-12, 2018, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) called for a kisan vijay (victory) march in Kalwan, about 70 km north of Nashik, close to the border with Gujarat, on April 2. I travelled to Kalwan to be part of the march.Kalwan was awash with red. The local police estimated, I learnt, that between 25,000 to 30,000 farmers attended. The Kisan Sabha had erected a large pandal with a stage on one side. This pandal couldn’t have accommodated everybody, and so they spilled out on all sides.

WEST Bengal experienced an unprecedented violence against women by Trinamul Congress administration on the eve of panchyat polls in the state. Women belonging to Left parties were physically assaulted when they were going to file the nominations; they were threatened in their homes; wives and daughters of Left leaders were not spared, even if they were not filing nominations. Trinamul Congress regime in the state in alliance with the State Election Commission is not only authoritarian but also flouting all norms of minimal consideration of human rights.

THE Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation All India Forward Bloc, Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist), have issued the following statement on April 6, 2018 ·        Submission of nominations by Left Front and opposition candidates obstructed.·        Block and SDO offices are cordoned off by TMC armed gangs.·        Attacks on opposition activists and candidates in all districts.·        More than 200 people have been injured.·        State Election Commission is virtually defunct.·        Police is compl

THE three-tier panchayat elections in West Bengal is becoming a farcical exercise due to the unprecedented and shameful attack by the ruling Trinamul Congress to throttle the democratic process at the outset itself.  One has heard of rigging elections by capturing booths, but this is the first time the elections are sought to be rigged by capturing the administrative offices where nominations are filed.From April 2 to 9, the period when nominations were to be filed for the three phase election, West Bengal has witnessed the shameful spectacle of armed Trinamul gangs surrounding the block de

THE World Bank’s ease of doing business index in 2018 ranked India at 100, up from 130 a year ago. Buoyed with this report, the BJP government has reportedly targeted 90 reforms to further climb up the ladder to reach the top 50.Extending Fixed Term Employment to all sectors is undoubtedly one such measure.On March 16th this year, the government issued a Gazette notification amending the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Central Rules, 1946, allowing Fixed Term Employment in all sectors.