ON May 12, the US walked out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCOPA) agreement, signed between the five Security Council Permanent members plus Germany (P5+1), and Iran. This agreement was a quid pro quo between the P5+1 countries and Iran. The agreement was for global sanctions against Iran ending, in lieu of dismantling a significant part of its nuclear programme. Iran fulfilled its part of the bargain, and this has been verified by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in its numerous visits to Iran.

MOST federations in the world have arrangements for the mobilisation and devolution of resources. In India, the constitution provides for the appointment of a finance commission every five years to recommend methodology to share resources such that the fiscal space of the constituents, especially the states, is well protected.The terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission are thus a matter of utmost importance to the resources available to the states of India.

INTOXICATED by the ‘ideology of hate’, BJP goons in Tripura ‘celebrated’ their victory by letting loose a reign of terror. Not only have they started attacking the members and supporters of the CPI(M), they burnt their houses, Party offices and other belongings. Razing down the statue of Lenin was one of their brazen acts. The governor of the state, an RSS pracharak, condoned the incident, his glee getting the better over his sense of constitutional propriety. It seems a diplomat, exceeding his brief, congratulated expressing the desire to see a world with ‘few communists’.

THE formation of Bahujana Left Front (BLF) in Telangana has brought to the fore a question as to how Communists could work together with Ambedkarites. This question arose because of the ripples created by the coming together of these forces. Though they have been distant from each other for some time, the relationship among Ambedkarites, followers of Phule and communists is a natural phenomenon. Like science and technology, communist ideology also did not emerge just like that out of the blue.

IN his Preface to the Economic Survey, 2017-18, Arvind Subramanian, the chief economic adviser to the ministry of finance wrote “The (pink) color of this year's survey cover was chosen as a symbol of support for the growing movement to end violence against women, which spans continents. Addressing the deep societal meta-preference in favour of sons, and empowering women with education and reproductive and economic agency are critical challenges for the Indian economy”.