THE coordination committee of farmers’ organisations had decided to organise large joint peasant conventions for mass awakening (janjaagran) in major districts all over the state from July 10-23. The report of the first few conventions was carried in these columns last week.A total of 15 massive joint conventions of farmers took place in all the five regions of Maharashtra – northern Maharashtra, Konkan, Vidarbha, Marathwada and Western Maharashtra – from July 10-23. Over 40,000 farmers took enthusiastic part in all these conventions despite the sowing season in the monsoons.

THE entire top brass of BJP’s state leadership is under fire for massive corruption charges against them. The storm was triggered when an internal enquiry commission report which reveals that Rs 5.6 crores have been taken as bribe, was leaked by a section of leaders. The report said that the money was received by the leaders to illegally arrange the sanction from Indian Medical Council to a self financing medical college floated in Cherpulasseri in Palakkad district by some businessmen.

SLOGANS of ‘Justice for Gudiya’ reverberated the air in Shimla demanding proper investigation into the horrendous rape and murder of a 10th class school girl, in Kotkhai who got the acronym of Gudiya meaning a doll or daughter. Since July 4, when Gudiya went missing, the district of Shimla initially and then many parts of the state saw massive protests in support of the foremost demand of proper investigation and action against the real culprits who according to the people were at large.Gudiya went missing on July 4.

UNDER Narendra Modi’s regime, the BJP has been boasting about the clean record of the government and the ruling party.

ONE of the major components of neoliberal policies, popularly known as ‘LPG (liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation) policies’ is privatisation – privatisation of public enterprises, public resources and public services etc. Privatisation process in our country was initiated under the Congress regime in 1991 when the neoliberal policies were officially introduced.