The Delhi police has made it quite clear that no public discussion about NREGA will be allowed beyond jantar-mantar. Students and activists were detained by the Delhi Police in the middle of a public discussion on NREGA at the Arts Faculty, Delhi University, for which permission was withdrawn on the day of the event. The event, organised by a student[Read More…]
I may be wrong,but I believe that the ominous and dangerous verdicts of both the Judicial Magistrate of Surat and the Honourable Speaker are marred by an elementary fallacy we all learnt during the penultimate years of higher secondary education. Let us put the most offensive construction on Rahul Gandhi’s remark.Then it will turn out like this: ALL THIEVES ARE[Read More…]
Before resuming continuation of section 2 of Part 1, I have to deal with the latest news about Rahul Gandhi.It transpires that the charge of defamation apparently pertains to his remarks on how all thieves uncannily have the title ‘Modi’. Much depends on whether he made the remark at a press conference or on some public platform or in private[Read More…]
About 2500 people from across the 17 villages impacted by the development of Dr. K Shivaram Karanth Layout, as well as from across various parts of India have signed a representation to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka, Sri. Basavaraj Bommai, urging him to immediately issue an ordinance to protect the fundamental rights of farmers, pastoralists, dalits, backward classes and[Read More…]
Failure of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to question appointment of political nominees on the Board of Bharat Electoronics Ltd (BEL) involved in the supply of EVMs To Shri Rajiv Kumar Chief Election Commissioner Shri A C Pandey Election Commissioner Shri A Goel Election Commissioner Dear S/Shri Rajiv Kumar/ Pandey and Goel, Please refer to my[Read More…]
What a coup. Nakedly amoral but utterly self-serving in its saccharine minted glory. India’s showman Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who otherwise appears to have clerkish, desk-bound qualities, had what he wanted: an accommodating, possibly clueless guest in the form of the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese; a common interest in India’s national sport cricket, and a show illuminating him as[Read More…]
(1) Attack,they say,is the best means of defence.And here we take up two arenas where at the moment this adage is most conspicuously in a frenzy of operation.Though poles apart they show the same entities and ideas locked in mortal conflict. First the sentencing of Rahul Gandhi to two years of imprisonment on the charge of ‘having defamed the country’.[Read More…]
Imagine you are driving your car and you notice garbage in the middle of the road, the heap is so big that you have to navigate around it, but that might be risky as the road is full of drivers like you who are in equal hurry. You eventually decide to wait and once the rush and the risk is[Read More…]
Respected Sir, Through the Bharat Jodo Yatra – Kanyakumari to Kashmir – you have made meaningful contacts with the vast multitudes of people of India. Only rare politicians have had the urge and energy to undertake this pilgrimage. You have rightly not allowed your time to be wasted in reciprocating to the name calling indulged in by the right wing[Read More…]
A massive Kisan Mahapanchayat was organized at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, March 20, on the call of the United Kisan Morcha (SKM). Thousands of farmers from all over the country thronged to the venue. A manifestation of the unity and resilient spirit of the farmer’s movement. In this mahapanchayat organized by Samyukta Kisan Morcha, farmers, tribal farmers, women farmers, farm labourers[Read More…]
Forest and police officials in Telangana seek to evict poor peasnts, adivasis in perticular, fromlands theycultivatedfordecades, notwithsatnding the Forest Rights Act 2005 that assured them of their rights. Led by GPS, peopleareresistingand defending their land rights and right to livelihood Grameena Pedala Sangham (GPS) (Organization of the Rural Poor, TS) is holding its sixth conference on 24th and 25th March,[Read More…]
The BJP’s protests against Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Cambridge are drawing yawns from the general public by now. News-curious folk who have heard snippets of Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Cambridge fail to understand why Parliament is stalled over a speech that does not even remotely endanger or disgrace the country. The curious ones took it upon them to watch the[Read More…]
Comments are no part of COUNTERCURRENTS.ORG repertory.But I am risking a chance on the ground that Ramakrishnan’s eye-opening article on India’s shift to a defence-dependant economy needs greater attention from sober citizens with genuine concern for the future of our society and nation. The big shift to a defence-related economy is definitely going to trigger tectonic shift in the psychology[Read More…]
For the past couple of days, electronic and print mainstream media in the country, have been highlighting the public ‘promise’ made by the Archbishop of Tellicherry. During a protest rally of some Catholic rubber farmers he offered to help the BJP open an account in Kerala in the next election, provided the price of rubber is increased to Rs 300[Read More…]
To Shri Rajiv Gauba Cabinet Secretary Government of India Dear Shri Gauba, I have come across a disturbing news report last evening (https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/centre-recommends-cbi-inquiry-against-activist-harsh-manders-ngo-aman-biradari-3877494#pfrom=home-ndtv_indiatrending) that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recommended a CBI inquiry against Aman Biradari, an NGO established by writer and human rights activist, Harsh Mander, for alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. To my mind,[Read More…]
The freedom movement of India to get independence from nearly two centuries of colonialism was one of the most inspiring phases of the history of India. People were motivated to take up very inspirational work and were willing to suffer unending hardships including imprisonment and torture with courageous songs and slogans. This inspirational spirit must be retained even now as[Read More…]
Irrespective of whoever says what about Indian democracy in any part of the world, including India, to what degree should their comments be viewed as dangerous, damaging and/or from any angle threatening for Indian sovereignty, including its democracy? First of all, it is amazing that credibility, worth and strength of Indian democracy is considered weak enough to weaken just by[Read More…]
To Shri Rajnath Singh Raksha Mantri 19 March 2023 DHQ PO New Delhi 110011 By Email to: <rmo@mod.nic.in>; EVICTION OF MS. ARUNA RODRIGUES, DAUGHTER OF LATE BRIG EA RODRIGUES, FROM HER RESIDENCE IN MHOW CANTONMENT Dear Shri Rajnath Singh, With great concern, we the undersigned Veterans are constrained to bring to your notice, the entirely illegal and distasteful[Read More…]
Writer’s Note—The writer would like to dedicate this article to the memory of Sh. PV Satheesh, who breathed his last today on March 19, whose great contributions to ecological protection as well as justice in the context of farming will never be forgotten. His work with dalit women farmers has been a source of inspiration for so many good efforts.[Read More…]
I am profoundly shocked and dumb-founded at Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju’s reported remarks about certain retired Supreme Court judges having joined a gang of anti-nationals and started among other things to criticise the highest court in the land.(Indian Express,19th March)They are also warned of possible consequences. This comes close enough to the scene that Rahul Gandhi had conjured in[Read More…]
On March 11 the leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samiti and daughter of the Telangana State Chief Minister, K Kavitha was questioned for nine hours by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi liquor policy case. Manish Sisodia, the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, and a prominent leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was arrested in late February by[Read More…]
‘Aatmanirbhar and indigenous’ in Defence : Camouflage for Adani’s deep penetration? The Defence sector is increasingly a happy hunting ground for private sector, including foreign capital. Adani too made a big entry with ‘flying’colors. This article in two parts focuses on India’s Defence Budget. Part-1 (‘Defence Budget, a burden on the people, must be pruned’) published on 23rd Feb 2023 [Read More…]
Referring to the recent incident of the alleged suicide of Darshan Solanki, a Dalit student in their first year of B.Tech at IIT Bombay, the 50th Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said suicide incidents among marginalized students are on the rise and research has proved it. It is seen that most of such students belong to Dalit and tribal[Read More…]
by MD Tabrez Alam & Sushant Mishra ABSTRACT Social networking has become an indispensible part of our everyday lives. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have changed how we communicate, share information, and connect with others. At the same time, platforms like LinkedIn, Reddit, and Quora have been introduced to serve professional and academic interests. Social media is a source[Read More…]
Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) strongly condemns the concerted effort by the Muslim rightwing in Kerala — including leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and some Muslim-run websites — to ridicule, vilify, denigrate and demonise Muslims who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. It is a tragic irony that while the minority Muslim community[Read More…]
There are philosophers who can argue you into a corner where meaning itself becomes meaningless and reason an endless self-deception,to their own vast self-satisfaction.In this country current turn of events has brought us to a situation where you find reason itself being put to tasks that cancel one another out. Rahul Gandhi on his return has been the target of[Read More…]
To Smt Nirmala Sitharaman Union Finance Minister Dear Smt Sitharaman, I refer to my last letter dated 26-2-2023 addressed to you on the subject (https://countercurrents.org/2023/02/has-the-government-unwittingly-or-otherwise-reduced-hzls-value-as-a-prelude-to-proposed-sale-of-its-29-54-equity-sale/) I understand that the Board of Hindustan Zinc Ltd. (HZL) will be meeting shortly to take a decision on releasing the final dividend for 2022-23. In that connection, I wish to raise the following concerns: Considering that[Read More…]
Several years ago, the Australian great, Ian Chappell, warned that the presence of too many political figures in the BCCI impedes its professional functioning. Politicians don’t necessarily make good sports administrators. Cricket administrators must earn their place in the system by virtue of good cricketing experience and understanding of the intricacies of the game and not for status and power.[Read More…]
“I (god) am in all beings. Whatever be the name or color, all have the same ability, same respect. All are my own. No one is superior or inferior…based on scriptures, what the Pandits say is a lie. By getting entangled in this imagination of superior and inferior castes, we have lost our way. This delusion has to be done[Read More…]
On the call of the Bharti Kisan Union (EKTA-UGRAHAN)on March 15th thousands of farmers, farm labour, hundreds of women, youth, and students thronged into Amritsar .They protested and held Demonstration, against the G-20 conference being held, demanding that Agriculture, Industry, Education, health, electricity and water etc fields of the country and of Punjab, remain free of the tyranny of the[Read More…]
Condemn the undemocratic action of state and Delhi Police to cancel the CASR’s program titled “Media Blackout and State Repression in Kashmir”. Campaign Against State Repression strongly condemns Delhi Police’s action of pressurizing the management of Gandhi Peace Foundation in form of notice by IP Estate Police Station and cancelling the event titled “Media Blackout and State Repression in Kashmir”[Read More…]
There is increasing evidence that resistance to colonial and feudal exploitation by Bheel tribal communities increased significantly during the decade 1912-22, leading to extreme forms of repression by the British forces supported by princely kingdoms, culminating in at least two, perhaps more, massacres whose death toll is most likely to have been in excess of the Jalianwala Bagh massacre. Around[Read More…]
For several decades, the separatist groups in Punjab have been pursuing the establishment of an independent Sikh-majority state known as ‘Khalistan’, a Sikh theocratic homeland. These groups have resorted to violent and terrorist activities, such as bombings, assassinations, and armed attacks against Indian Security Forces in the past. Among the prominent groups are Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Bhindranwale Tiger Force[Read More…]
As atrocities against Muslim minorities increase and the news comes in that various Muslim leaders and intellectuals are knocking the doors of RSS for a dialogue, what do we make of it? A brief peep into the past may help us understand the current dilemmas of Muslim community. The partition of India left the Indian Muslims in a precarious position.[Read More…]
It is yet to be proved whether charges levied against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia are true. But prior to be proven guilty, he and another former minister, Satyender Jain have been placed behind bars. Jain has been in prison for around 10 months over allegations of money laundering, Sisodia was arrested on February 26 for alleged irregularities[Read More…]
There is increasing need for at least seven important reforms in India’s democracy. First and foremost, there is urgent need for the government to be more protective towards minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, who have been feeling less secure in recent times. The government has a constitutional duty to ensure that there is no discrimination on the basis of faith[Read More…]
”Bharat Jodo” meant uniting in love a country torn by hatred and malice.The word ‘whole’ had once been associated with health,and so the divisions and distrust are also threats to the health of the country. Definitely a most desirable end and spiritually uplifting objective. But the divisions are too complicated and stubborn to be overcome by a noble intention though[Read More…]
It has been confirmed time and again that traditional knowledge of farmers and farmer communities has a lot to contribute much but despite this the authorities of various countries have often tried to impose technologies without trying to work with farmers in a spirit of learning together with each other. This has curbed creativity and the access of invaluable information[Read More…]
Vaagdhara is one of the few voluntary organizations in the country which has centered its work around the vision of swaraj—or self-rule based on increasing self-reliance of rural communities. It has worked with this vision for nearly two decades in the tri-junction area of three states—Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, with most concentration in South Rajasthan (particularly Banswara district). This[Read More…]
To Shri Rajiv Kumar Chief Election Commissioner Shri A C Pandey Election Commissioner Shri A Goel Election Commissioner Dear S/Shri Rajiv Kumar/ Pandey and Goel, I write this letter to highlight the Commission’s double standards in applying the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), one for the influential and another for the disadvantaged. The migrant Chenchus of Visakhapatnam: The[Read More…]
In the last three years, India ranks as tenth most dangerous for Christians across the world Christians have traditionally adopted a posture of social leadership to the wider community in multiple ways. Education, medical care, social services, rural development, services to the hungry and poor, vocational training, community development, and a host of other development models were introduced by the[Read More…]
WASHINGTON – The National Press Club’s Journalism Institute last evening hosted a condensed showing of the controversial BBC documentary, India: The Modi Question. The two-part documentary banned in India tells the story of the 2002 riot that saw Hindu extremists attack the Muslim section of Gujarat killing thousands of Muslim Indians. The riot took place in the aftermath of an[Read More…]
The recent judgement of the Supreme Court (SC) to appoint the members of the Election Commission of India (ECI) by a partisan cum judicial panel is lauded by many as historic and landmark. The judgement is certainly historic, it has filled the void for a law being in pending for a very long time, dating back to when the constitution[Read More…]
Report from Jhansi district National level information has frequently highlighted many unmet needs of schools and anganwadis in remote rural areas. While the government has several ambitious plans of improvements, the harsh reality is that budgetary allocations have been falling short of meeting even essential requirements, let alone make ambitious improvements. In such a situation, voluntary organizations can make an[Read More…]
To Shri Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy Chief Minister Andhra Pradesh Dear Shri Jagan Mohan Reddy garu, I understand that Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (APGENCO) has placed an order for 7.5 lakh tonnes of imported coal for the Damodaram Sanjeevaiah TPS (DSTPS) at Krishnapatnam, by selecting the Adani Group as the successful bidder at a quoted price of[Read More…]
Indian Federation of Trade Unions staged a rally in Nawarshara town in Punjab, challenging fascist dictates of the Narendra Modi led BJP imposed on the working class. Around 600 persons participated. Aparna adressed the gathering on how it was imperative for workers and labourers to unite to confront the enstranglement of the corporates .She summarised the brutal attacks on the[Read More…]
Bundelkhand region, spread over 14 districts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in central India, has often been in news due to water scarcity, a problem that can easily worsen in times of climate change if adequate steps are not taken to check this. Recently there has been an increasing interest in the revival of Bundelkhand’s innumerable traditional water bodies[Read More…]
Basanta Utsav is held each year in the month of March on the Full moon day of Falgun. Spring is welcomed through music and dances. It literally means the ‘celebration of spring’. The beautiful tradition of celebrating spring festival in Bengal was first started by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, at Vishwabharati Shantiniketan, the University founded by him. Actually, Basanta Utsav[Read More…]
In village Manguwal in Sangrur a contingent of dalit agricultural labourers embarked on a protest, under the leadership of the Zameen prapt sangarsh commitee. The issue was on the denial of place to throw away trash For over 60 years the dalit labourers of Manguwal have relentlessly battled for rights promised to them for procuring panchayat land. However the capitalist[Read More…]
On the farming map of Uttar Pradesh Mahoba is generally considered a relatively backward district of Bundelkhand region, but thanks to a recent initiative called BIWAL a model combining water conservation and natural farming has given a new-found strength to many farmers and rural communities. Arunoday and Srijan voluntary organization have collaborated to take this model to several villages, with[Read More…]
India’s presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20) comes at a critical juncture; even as the pandemic wanes, geopolitical tensions between the US and China could spiral into a possible military confrontation. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is now entering into its second year with little signs of resolution. Economists have been warning of an imminent recession in 2023 as[Read More…]
Anandpuri block in Banswara district (Rajasthan) is known for high concentration of tribal communities, particularly Bhil communities. Their traditional livelihood and farming patterns based on biodiversity and self-reliance were well-suited to local conditions, but these suffered under exploitative systems of colonial times. Freedom from colonial rule brought some relief, but the dominant development thinking still neglected special needs, conditions and[Read More…]
To Shri Alok Tandon Union Mines Secretary Dear Shri Tandon, You are aware of my correspondence with the Cabinet Secretary and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on a disclosure filed by the Vedanta Group in the national stock exchanges on 19-1-2023 on a proposal allegedly approved by the Board of Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL) to acquire the group’s zinc subsidiary[Read More…]
We can expect little improvement in our urban transport system considering what could be termed as inadequate understanding of the issue shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his post budget webinar last week. He emphasised Metro rail network as a key driver not realising the extremely poor record in most ciies. Even the moderate Marathi daily Maharashtra Times in[Read More…]
Santosh is a dedicated farmer who along with his wife Chunni Devi worked very hard in recent months to convert a small patch of unproductive land into a lush green, multi-layer vegetable garden. This has ensured year-round supply of organically grown vegetables to his family as well as fetched several thousand rupees in cash sales. This couple has grown over[Read More…]
Kapil Shah, an advocate of organic farming explains the Scientific, Economic, Environmental and Social fallout, if GM Mustard is approved. Suma Josson is an activist and film maker
by Prof. Apoorvanand/ A K Shiburaj The idea of India faces an unprecedented challenge. Preventing irreversible damage to the Republic of India, as we have known it, is the most pressing political task of our times. The 2024 election is crucial for India. There are fears that even the Constitution of India will be abrogated if the Sangh Parivar comes back to power.[Read More…]
To Dr Manoj Govil Secretary (Corporate Affairs) Govt of India Dear Dr Govil, The Vedanta Group, the majority shareholder of Hindustan Zinc Ltd. (HZL), informed the national stock exchanges on 19-1-2023 vide their communication No.HZL/2023-SECY/ dated January 19, 2023, as required by SEBI’s Listing Regulations, that HZL’s Board met on the same day and passed a resolution to acquire THL Zinc Ltd,[Read More…]
The PIL Watch Group watches with concern the events unfolding in Punjab. Consequent to the opinion expressed publicly by the police officials, central intelligence agencies, public figures on the recent developments in Punjab pertaining to release of an accused from judicial custody ostensibly due to protest demonstration (at Ajnala police station, near Amritsar) organised by a newly formed outfit ‘Waris[Read More…]
Most farm development efforts focus more on bigger and more dominant farmers, and while they may also include smaller farmers, this gets lesser attention. It is rare to see a program focused mostly on the most marginalized farmers with the smallest holdings. An ongoing effort in Mau block of Chitrakut district should be welcomed therefore for its efforts to reach[Read More…]
About 30 farmers of Elha village ( in Manikpur block of Chitrakut district, Uttar Pradesh) have gathered for a group discussion in the courtyard of a farmer, along with activists of a voluntary organization ABSSS . One of the main subjects of discussion is—how far can the efforts of natural farming initiated about two years back progress? Two farmers Ram[Read More…]
Given the importance accorded by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to electoral results of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura as not simply its “success” but more as marking major defeat of Congress, one is tempted to analyse these from this angle itself. Of these, perhaps the most important is the trend displayed by Meghalaya polls. The importance given by BJP to this[Read More…]
Is implementation of NREGA (national rural employment guarantee legislation) being changed to such an extent that instead of helping workers in difficult times the scheme under this law may even becomes a source of exploiting them? This and other disturbing questions were raised at a press conference organized in Delhi on March 3 by the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (a group[Read More…]
In an important judgment yesterday, a five-judge bench of supreme court of India unanimously ruled that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs) must be appointed by a selection committee consisting of Prime Minister, Chief justice of India and the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha. The court was hearing the matter under a Public Interest Litigation (PIL)[Read More…]
Women farmers of Neemkhera village (Niwari district and block, Madhya Pradesh) gather near their ancient water tank built during the times of Chandel kings several centuries earlier. Most of them are very small farmers, owning one to three acres of land or even less, yet the work they have taken up is not small, it is big. This work is[Read More…]
“After the introduction of the New Economic Industrial Policy, public industries were privatized all over the country, the national wealth was looted by the big capital houses and the rights of the workers were attacked. Whichever party was in government, it curtailed the rights of the workers and worked to abolish the laws made in the interests of the[Read More…]
To Smt Alka Tiwari Secretary National Commission for the Scheduled Tribes (NCST) Dear Smt Tiwari, This refers to a news report (https://www.cnbctv18.com/business/companies/adani-arm-mundra-aluminium-named-preferred-bidder-for-odisha-bauxite-block-16061911.htm) that the Ministry of Mines has recently auctioned Kutrumali bauxite mine in Kalahandi/ Rayagarh districts in Odisha to the Adani Group. This mineral block is located in Thuamul Rampur of Kalahandi district and partly in Kashipur Tahasil of Rayagada[Read More…]
To Shri A L Meena Union Coal Secretary Dear Shri Meena, I refer to the CAG Report No 20/2016 on E-Auctions conducted by your Ministry for allotment of coal blocks, following the judgement of the Hon’ble Supreme Court holding earlier coal block allotments to be illegal. In particular, I invite your attention to the following observations of the CAG:[Read More…]
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Delhi has done three surveys with a foreign journalist based in Delhi that has some startling revelation that reflects on the freedom of the press in India. The three surveys conducted from 2020 to 2022 were shared with the Ministry of External Affairs but there was no response from the ministry that further puts a[Read More…]
Metro work causing havoc in Surat, in Mr Modi’s home state. In Mumbai bus transport is neglected. The prohibitively costly Metro rail project has caused disruption on a massive scale in different cities in India. But nowhere else more than in Surat in the Prime Minister’s home state of Gujarat. And also in Mumbai. Metro Mokan says today’s edition of[Read More…]
To Smt Nirmala Sitharaman Union Finance Minister Dear Smt Sitharaman, From media reports, it appears that both DIPAM and the Ministry of Mines are in a hurry to divest the government’s equity share of 29.54% in Hindustan Zinc Ltd. (HZL), without appreciating the strategic and financial implications of the proposal. In this connection, I invite your attention to my letters[Read More…]
Bengaluru: Names of 9,159 Muslim voters in the Shivajinagar constituency in Bengaluru have been removed from the voters’ list. This removal is done based on a complaint filed by a private agency named Chilume which has links to the BJP. The complaint was filed on November 16, 2022, and the action was taken by the Election commission in January 2023.[Read More…]
The really awful mistake is to treat the present as an oasis of peace and wish away all bad omens as temporary noise bound to get filtered out.Now in jitters thanks to stirring of conscience and resistance among broader sections of the people, the evil regime is desperate to encourage this illusion and gag any open sign of defiance.’I am[Read More…]
In India, the cries for justice, are becoming louder and longer! They come from different segments of society and particularly from those who continue to be exploited and excluded! These cries are heart-rending: anyone with an iota of conscience will hear them! The sad and tragic reality is that these cries will remain unheard; those who need to hear these[Read More…]
To Shri Rajiv Gauba Cabinet Secretary Dear Shri Gauba, I refer to my earlier letter dated 7-2-2023 (https://countercurrents.org/2023/02/hindustan-zinc-ltd-hzl-proposed-acquisition-of-overseas-zinc-companies-in-namibia-and-s-africa-is-questionable/) raising serious concerns bout HZL’s proposal to buy THL, a Mauritius-based company of Vedanta, indirectly owning majority equity stakes in overseas zinc companies in S.Africa and Namibia. Belatedly, the Ministry of Mines has filed its opposition to the proposal (https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/AttachLive/705CD9B9-44C1-403F-AEAA-F525481B0709-083834.pdf), stating that[Read More…]
The sacked workers of the Manesar plant of Maruti Suzuki, one of the country’s largest car manufacturers, have been relentlessly demanding reinstatement for the past 10 years. Even after continuous protests, the management refuses to discuss the issue of reinstatement of the workers. On February 15, the sacked workers of Maruti relentlessly waged a sit-in protest by taking out a[Read More…]
Sukhrani is a koladivasi woman in Sakrauhan village of Manikpur block in Chitrakut district (Uttar Pradesh). She toiled at a NREGA ( rural employment guarantee scheme)work site for 21 days. This was about six months back. However she has still not received her wages despite having made several pleas for this. ChotwaKol is an adivasi farmer of this village. He[Read More…]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Aero India 2023, the Runway to Billion Opportunities. It “is a wonderful platform to showcase the unlimited potential our country has in defence and aerospace sectors”. The country which was the biggest defence importer for decades now exports defence equipment to 75 countries, he said. “India has rejuvenated its defence sector in the last[Read More…]
Hundreds of workers engulfing vast areas of the country are valiantly protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against the establishment of digital presence to monitor MGNREGA workers. The workers state that due to technical defects in this new rule, they are being marked absent and their wages are also being deducted. Organizations are determined to prolong the protest for the next[Read More…]
To Respected Chief Ministers Sir, During the last few years, there has been a growing trend on the part of the Centre to diminish the role of the States under the Constitution in several ways, including by reducing the share of tax receipts to be devolved to the States on the basis of equitable allocations recommended by the Finance Commission[Read More…]
The survey of Income tax on BBC offices in India, which were started on 14th February (2023) were stopped after three days. While IT department called it a ‘survey’, many columnists and agencies like Amnesty International called it a raid. The global media linked it to the release of BBC documentary, ‘India: The Modi question’. It was yet another attack[Read More…]
On February 20th the Zameen Prapt Sangarsh committee staged a day long dharna outside the Sangrur district magistrate office, pleading for genuine demands promised to the dalit agricultural labourers. It was a culmination of meticulous preparations in past weeks. Villagers were mobilised from Bhawnigarg, Sherpur, Lehra,Dibba, In previous days meetings were organized in a cluster of villages, in preparation. Sukhwinder[Read More…]
The extremely cruel deaths of a mother and her daughter in the course of a demolition drive in Marauli village of Kanpur Dehat ( Uttar Pradesh) has disturbed the conscience of even those people who normally remain silent on such injustices against the poor, and condemnations have been coming in from far and wide. Reports have pointed out how demolitions[Read More…]
On February 19th in Allahabad Dastak journal conducted a meeting in commemoration of it’s 100th issue. The main theme was preserving the democratic rights of journalists ‘Dastak’ is manifestation of the anti-fascist and revolutionary democratic spirit. It has played an important role in shaping anti-feudal,anti-imperialist and secular consciousness, and given a prop to democratic and secular movements. This Hindi Magazine[Read More…]
Connection to Baltistan This is a recall of June 1984, thirty-nine years ago. The formation cut of a motorable road from Leh over Khardungla on the Ladakh mountain range and into Baltistan along the Shyok river valley, was completed. (The Shyok river, with source at the Rimo glacier, is a major tributary of the Indus river). The story of overcoming[Read More…]
The earlier article on ‘Citizen resistance in the age of Hindutva’ had mentioned different forms of resistance after 2014. These included resistance by writers & artists (Award Waapasi), Dalits (Una protest), Dalits & Student community (Rohit Vemula protests), Students & Teachers (JNU Nationalist debates), Muslims & others (Anti CAA protests), Muslim women (Anti hizab restriction protests), Journalists (Independent youtube media[Read More…]
An important aspect of fiscal policy relates to the extent to which the various welfare needs of people are being met. One important indicator of this are the allocations made for the social sector. The social sector in the context of the union government of India is generally identified in terms of the following ministries—Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development,[Read More…]
Bilkis Bano, then 19 years old and pregnant, was gangraped in the 2002 infamous communal violence of Gujarat. 14 of her family members were also killed including a 3 years old daughter. Case was registered after the intervention of National Human Rights Commission. In 2004 the trial was moved to Mumbai by Supreme Court. In 2008, 11 accused were convicted.[Read More…]
Incarceration of common people is becoming a routine affair. Activists and political opponents are being increasingly suppressed by the government with the goal of exercising political monopoly over the people. Concerns are being voiced by none other than the President of India and the chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Janhastakshep organized a well-attended, qualitative meeting at Delhi’s Gandhi peace[Read More…]
Some cow vigilante belonging to Bajrang Dal kidnapped Junaid (35) and Naasir (25) when they were traveling from Bharatpur Rajasthan to Bhiwani in neighboring Haryana and burnt them alive on suspicion of being cow smugglers. The charred remains of Junaid and Nassir were found in a Bolero in which they were traveling. “Eyewitnesses say the ‘gau rakshaks’ and the Crime[Read More…]
At a time when minority communities have been passing through difficult times and need reassurance and support, the union budget has come as a rude jolt for them with its big cuts in allocations for such obvious priorities as education and skills. What is more, as the now available data shows, there were very big cuts in the previous year[Read More…]
The BJP party and government(there is actually no difference.) has crossed all rational limits to crush the little but numerous vibrant signs of revolt under the steamroller of the state.Such responses are also absurd to the point of being ridiculous.The gagging of the BBC documentary and frantic persecution of some viewers and platforms betray the growing insecurity and apprehension of[Read More…]
To Shri G C Murmu C&AG Dear Shri Murmu, The AP State government sold its 10.4% equity share in Gangavaram Port to the Adani Group in mid-2021 for Rs 120 per share, at a total value of Rs 644 Crores, without going through any competitive bidding procedure, as required by the Centre’s disinvestment guidelines, thus deliberately allowing the transaction[Read More…]
The union budget 2023-24 has failed to live up to the real needs and hopes of people living in villages, or to prioritize rural areas. A clear decline can be seen in the proportion of the budget going to rural development, agriculture and allied sectors. As the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability has pointed out in its analysis of[Read More…]
Introduction Any budget is complex consisting of many things of varying importance. Often, people focus on things of their direct interest but miss the wider implications that affect them indirectly and may undo any benefit they may get directly. Thus, it is not only important to look at the trees but also the forest. So, it is important to analyse[Read More…]
In India, which is said to be the world’s largest democracy, media and its freedom have been considered indispensable. But after income tax raids on several print and electronic media organizations in recent years, the Delhi-Mumbai offices of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) have now come under the income tax department’s radar. The opposition has alleged that central government agencies[Read More…]
How do donations via electoral bonds funded by legal or illegal money help curb undue influence on policy makers? Electoral bonds provide an additional of such funds. The Union Government initiated the Electoral Bonds scheme, which was announced in the Union Budget 2017–18, on January 2, 2018. The aim was “to cleanse the system of political funding in the country”. While many other issues are also germane,[Read More…]
The massacre at Laxmanpur-Bathe of Jehanabad in Bihar on the night of 1 December in 1997 was a landmark event with distinguishing features .The genocide rightly shook the conscience of the nation in the 50th year of Indian independence. The scale of the carnage was unparalleled in any caste massacre. It was a perfect manifestation of how in essence the[Read More…]
Both the Congress and the RSS have one common trait: Indifference towards the Indian Muslims. The Kashmir Files In Jan 19, 1990, the Azaadi uprising in the Kashmir Valley led to the ethnic cleansing of an estimated 1,00,000 Kashmir Pandits. For some, this day heralded the rejection of Indian rule by protesting Kashmiris, followed by the bloody suppression of Kashmiri[Read More…]
India has witnessed growth and acceleration of Hindutva agenda from 2014 onwards. The growth of BJP, penetration of communal propaganda through social media, decline of independent media, decline of institutions, and emergence of autocrat leader who gets identified as liberator of majority has contributed to this trend. However, the acceleration of Hindutva agenda has also been equally accompanied by different[Read More…]
To Smt Alka Tiwari Secretary National Commission for the Scheduled Tribes (NCST) Dear Smt Tiwari, I understand from a news report (https://m.economictimes.com/industry/indl-goods/svs/metals-mining/vedanta-declared-preferred-bidder-for-bauxite-block-in-odisha/articleshow/97953706.cms) that the Odisha government has put the Sijimali bauxite mine located across Kalahandi and Rayagada districts to auction and that the Vedanta Group has been declared as a preferred bidder. Sijimali bauxite mine is located across Thuamul–Rampur tehsil of[Read More…]
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D. Y. Chandrachud, on 10th February expressed concern over the acute downfall in share values of Adani Group and observed that “there is a need to protect Indian investors from[Read More…]
A flawed process led to erroneous policy which is counterproductive and which resulted in not only damage to democracy but to huge adverse impact on the public, especially the poor. The process by which a policy is arrived at, also determines the outcomes. Can it then be said that the process was legal, even if formally, so the achievement of[Read More…]
It’s clearly not a coincidence that at the recent 3 day convention organised by the Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Hind at the Ramlila grounds in Delhi, has degenerated into another national round of competitive communalism & petty bickering. A convention where religious leaders from the Hindu, Sikh, Jain & Christian communities were invited by the Jamiat to further the cause of communal harmony, was[Read More…]
Adequate investment in equality-based education is widely accepted as one of the key components as well as a strong base for the progress of developing countries. Despite this, educational progress in India has been impeded badly by low budgets as well as inequalities. There is near consensus, even at the official level, regarding the need to take government educational budget[Read More…]
The most common description of the union budget’s allocations for health sector has been that these have increased marginally. However it would be much more appropriate to say that the health allocations have been glaringly low compared to the officially recognized projections of what is needed. In 2017 the National Health Policy agreed that the health budget of the central[Read More…]
This marginalization of the rural economy is a result of the policymakers’ focus being on the organized part — the modern part of the economy. Modernization of the economy has been taken to be the copying of western modernity. India has not attempted its own modernity suited to the needs of the vast majority living in rural areas. No wonder[Read More…]
It is an open secret. There is no love lost between India’s religious minorities and the federal government. When Muslims, the most significant minority that makes up 14.2 per cent of the nation’s 1.4 billion people, needed a healing touch, they got a budgetary shock in the form of a significant cut to funds meant for their welfare. The presentation[Read More…]
by Ankit Kumar and Komal Patel In February 2019, when about 116 people died from hooch in U.P. and Uttarakhand, the then Deputy CM of Bihar when asked if prohibition should be imposed in those states had said, “Prohibition may have worked in Bihar, but it cannot work everywhere. Different states have different circumstances, and it is up to their[Read More…]
Child development is increasingly seen as the most important part of the development path. This is particularly true of a country like India where nearly a third of the children under 5 years of age are either stunted or underweight ( as per National Family Health Survey ) , or where nearly 32 million children are unable to complete school[Read More…]
To Shri Bhagwant Mann Chief Minister Punjab Dear Mann saheb, I have come across reports on the Centre asking Punjab power utilities to pay for transporting coal from the State’s coal mines in the eastern region via Adani Group’s port on the west coast (https://www.thestatesman.com/india/punjab-being-made-to-bear-high-expense-of-coal-to-benefit-adani-mann-1503154486.html). This is indeed paradoxical, to say the least! I had earlier written to you and[Read More…]
Over a Lakh Muslim Girls in Karnataka Pay for Anti-Muslim Agenda In the current session of parliament, CPI(M) leader John Brittas claimed that “more than a lakh Muslim girls backed out of government colleges in Karnataka alone” during a debate over a private member’s bill proposed by Abdul Wahab of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) to implement the Sachar[Read More…]
The workers of Marshall Machine Limited, located at Focal Point, Ludhiana, secured success by persuading the management and labour department to concede to their demands. Around 150 workers of a company manufacturing ‘turning machines’ (i.e. computer-controlled lathe machines) waged a strike since last February 7 on issues related to wages and social security. The strike was being led by an[Read More…]
The cow is held as a sacred animal by a section of Hindus. But in the cases of lynching, it becomes a political animal with which to browbeat and even murder the minorities and the Dalits. Ziya Us Salam, Lynching Files (2019) The cow was never used for spiritual elevation. In the 20th century everybody used the cow[Read More…]
This year’s Indian Budget has allocated Rs 10 lakh crore (121.0 Billion US $) as capital expenditure for building huge infrastructure during 2023-24. Nearly one fourth of the capital outlay will be spent on constructing new roads and highways and another quarter to Indian Railways for running new high speed trains (like Vande Bharat), laying new rail tracks and 10[Read More…]
Winston Churchill is credited to have stated, ‘Politics is not a game. It is an earnest business’. The recent appointments to as many as 13 gubernatorial posts, when countdown for Loksabha elections 2024 has already begun, confirms Churchill’s aphorism. Perhaps the most significant story lurking behind the recent appointments is the increasing profile of northeastern states in the political arithmetic[Read More…]
The Prime Minister had announced in June 2017 that the income of the country’s farmers would double by 2022, and he further promised to double the farmer’s income in many places. It was reiterated in every annual budget of the central government till 2021. But he stopped mentioning it after the farmers’ agitation against the new agricultural laws and the[Read More…]
Recently, I received a video (YouTube shorts), on WhatsApp, of a comical portrayal of a scene where Rahul Gandhi is peeping from behind to see how Narendra Modi prepares tea. Rahul Gandhi is curious to know, in this video, what masala (spices) Modi adds to the tea that makes people consuming his tea come back again and again. Modi tells[Read More…]
The game has changed . A new narrative has begun. Now Adani Realty is in BKC’ says the slogan on the wall of the upcoming high rise Adani building. The irony is that it is right opposite the building of MHADA, Maharashtra housing and area development authority in Bandra east in Mumbai.It is an affront to the whole concept of[Read More…]
While most of the budget discussion is understandably concentrated on the financial year ahead of us, it is important to have an understanding also of the previous year’s experiences. An important aspect of this relates to significant cuts made in the allocations of various union ministries and departments of crucial importance during the previous financial year 2022-23, with hardly any[Read More…]
* On the initiative of the Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, the National Fact Finding Team of women and human rights organizations has released a study on the Ankita Bhandari murder. * It demands registration of FIR against all guilty employees. * Implementation of law against sexual violence at workplace in the Uttarakhand tourism sector. * End of political protection to criminals[Read More…]
At this very moment a hideously frightening yet absurd antic is going on in Assam in the name of law.Of course we are getting blase about Hindutva forces in and out of government staging all kinds of ludicrous drama,like the RSS (in a recent issue of The ORGANISER,official organ of the RSS) coming out blazing all guns in support of[Read More…]
“Safe Food Week” being marked all over the country this week Delhi, February 9th 2023: National Safe Food Day was marked widely all over the country today, on the day when Bt brinjal was placed under an indefinite moratorium in 2010. Citizens were seeking to remind Government of India about this pro-people, pro-nature decision that was taken by the then[Read More…]
The lines between the public and private have slowly become more and more blurred, with the hope being from the side of Right-Wing Ground activists that eventually it will be erased completely. We must take the mob activity that took place on January 21st, 2023 with the utmost seriousness as it displays to us the direction in which the nation[Read More…]
Whether the proposed inauguration of Manusmriti at Telugu University, Hyderabad be stopped ? As per reports appearing in a section of the press, the The Veda Dharma Prachara Trust has translated and published Manusmriti from Hindi to Telugu which will be inaugurated in a mass programme to be held at Telugu University in Hyderabad on 11 th of Feb 2023.([Read More…]
The plight of slum dwellers is aggravating day by day with the advent of Bulldozer Raj, with their lives literally placed at a razors edge. Without formulating any alternative arrangements for rehabilitation, notices are continuously being issued to demolish all the slums in Delhi. It has placed the poor labourer families in jeopardy, with a housing crisis. Path has been[Read More…]
An important aspect of health budget that we must keep in consideration while analyzing recent allocations relates to the fact that health budgeting in the present phase of India’s development is not about marginal increases. In fact marginal increases sometimes mean near stagnation after accounting for the inflationary factor. This apart, as India has one of the lowest public spending[Read More…]
This is the first part of a two-parts article on the issue of job insecurity of ad-hoc teachers in Delhi University. A little close to a decade ago, when I was working as an ad-hoc teacher, I recall a particular incident which left me extremely disturbed and sad. I was walking through my college car park and came across a[Read More…]
Christians are under frequent threat by the Chief Minister in Goa. Without any real evidence to corroborate false qualms, he has vowed to act with an unyielding hand to put down forced conversions that were taking place in remote corners. Pastor Dominic has been one of his targets and the government had even imposed Section 144 around his residence. Religion[Read More…]
“Empowering the minority communities and creating an enabling environment for strengthening the multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious character of our nation”. “To improve the socio-economic conditions of the minority communities through affirmative action and inclusive development so that every citizen has equal opportunity to participate actively in building a vibrant nation.[Read More…]
Why GM Crops and Foods Are Becoming the Core Issue of Food Safety February 9 2010 was an important day for food safety in India when after a very broad-based public consultation the Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh announced a moratorium on Bt brinjal and thereby the entry of GM food crops was prevented at that time despite a huge attempt[Read More…]
To Shri Rajiv Gauba Cabinet Secretary Dear Shri Gauba, For the last several years, I have been questioning the Union Mines Ministry’s proposal to disinvest government’s residual equity share of 29.58% in Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL), keeping in view that zinc is a critical mineral on which public ownership and control would be necessary and also keeping in view the manner[Read More…]
In the budget presented on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that this budget has ushered in an amrit kal period , but for Dalits, tribals and farmers, this budgetary amrit period is a mirage and there is no way to face the challenges like inflation and unemployment in the budget. This budget has once again confirmed that the[Read More…]
If a single aspect of the union budget 2023-24 is to be selected in the context of drawing the maximum criticism, then it is the very low allocation for NREGA. As a response to this widespread criticism, on February 3 the Rural Development Ministry issued a statement (see The Statesman, February 4), saying that there is no need for widely[Read More…]
by Sanjana Sree Manusanipalli and Sandeep Pandey The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act was enacted by the Union Government in 2009 and implemented in 2010. As part of Section 12(1)(c) of this Act, at least 25% of children in the age group 6-14 years from the disadvantaged groups and weaker sections can be admitted to unaided[Read More…]
On the 26th of January, 2023, India reminded herself, yet again, that she is a Republic. As the winter sun rose in the east and gently waded across the smoggy skies of the National Capital Region, yet again, we witnessed shows of patriotism and love that we shower on ourselves in the form of tableaus and speeches. What remained understated,[Read More…]
Post-Budget Statement by Peoples’ Action for Employment Guarantee (PAEG) and NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM) The allocation for NREGA announced in the budget for FY 2023-24 is a travesty and is an assault on the peoples’ right to work as mandated under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. NREGA is a demand driven law and demand for work must be satisfied.[Read More…]
India is widely mentioned as the top milk producer in world and this achievement is frequently stated to have been achieved on the basis of its ‘white revolution’ which in turn is claimed to have been achieved on the basis of improved livelihoods of small dairy farmers. How real are these claims? This is not merely an academic question. If[Read More…]
To Smt Nirmala Sitharaman Union Finance Minister Dear Smt Sitharaman, You must have received my letter of 31st January, 2023 (https://countercurrents.org/2023/02/overseas-shell-companies-a-shadow-economy-a-threat-t-national) on the legal vacuum left unfilled over the years (“shell companies” not statutorily defined), deliberately or otherwise, by the Finance and Corporate Affairs Ministries, which has perhaps strengthened the unholy nexus that exists between domestic corporate entities and their overseas shell[Read More…]
Having gone through Hindenburg research report on Adani Group’s activities, there seems to be much more to it than that which meets the eye. While it is true that the valuations of the Group companies, which are generally reserved for hi tech companies, such as Amazon, Tesla, Google etc. are not justified in case of the companies that are engaged[Read More…]
The fog enveloping both the subjects discussed in my last article has not cleared thanks to the studied silence of the accused.If Hindenburgh Research is to be believed, Adani’s 413 page is not much of an answer as it allegedly fudges or skips over key issues.We are only spectators in the game but we are keen that things should be[Read More…]
The Right to Food Campaign is shocked to see that, at this time of deep crisis the Union Budget 2022-23 has continued to reduce the government spending on the social sector by a huge extent. The negative impact of the economic crisis that began even before the pandemic has fallen disproportionately on those at the bottom of the pyramid. Multiple[Read More…]
As Bharat Jodo yatra, in its final phase is in Kashmir, there is an overwhelming response. At the same time some writers and commentators are using the occasion for Nehru bashing, blaming him for the difficult situation created there. Some are using this to create a binary between Nehru and Patel yet again, stating that had Patel handled the issue[Read More…]
Right since the abrogation of article 370 on Aug.5th, 2019 which was ostensibly read down to herald a new beginning in the state of J&K that was tom-tommed as to usher in the much- needed peace, stability and economic wellbeing of the people of the erstwhile state, all that has remained elusive and nothing that would even remotely reek[Read More…]
A disturbing aspect of the union budget for the year 2023-24 relates to food and nutrition. In the case of most allocations there is a decline compared to the previous year or else there is near stagnation, which also means a decline in real terms after accounting for inflation. Although so many schemes and programs impact the food and nutrition[Read More…]
The union budget for the year has been presented at a time of growing concerns that expectations regarding an inclusive recovery from the COVID and lockdown related economic crisis have not been realized for millions of poor households, while inequalities have been increasing sharply. There were therefore strong reasons for using this budget as an instrument for providing immediate relief[Read More…]
Forbes, world’s financial news daily declared (September, 2022), Gautam Adani as the second richest in global rich list, with a fortune estimated to be $155.5 billion on Forbe’s Real time billionaire rankings. Then during this week credible American financial investigating firm Hindenburg Research revealed a saga of stock manipulations and accounting frauds of Adani empire, India’s biggest crony capitalist. As[Read More…]
We strongly support the demand by the people of Ladakh, that the Government of India include Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and accord it statehood, so that the land, culture, environment and the economic interests of the Ladakhi people can be safeguarded for current and future generations. We also express deepest shock about the way in[Read More…]
To Smt Nirmala Sitharaman Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Dear Smt Sitharaman, In recent times, there has been a proliferation of overseas shell companies, which have literally come to represent a shadow economy, posing a threat to the stability of the financial system and a serious affront to national security. Answering a Rajya Sabha Question on shell companies[Read More…]
Today, through the speech of the President in the parliament on the budget, the Modi government has declared its achievements, whose autopsy is necessary. A review of the enumerated achievements makes one thing clear that they are mostly immaterial and emotional and are expressions of future possibilities. There is not a single achievement which shows that there has been any[Read More…]
To Shri Govind Mohan Secretary Union Ministry of Culture Dear Shri Govind Mohan, I have come across a disturbing news report today (https://swarajyamag.com/news-brief/rationalise-the-number-of-monuments-of-national-importance-says-economic-advisory-council-led-by-sanjeev-sanyal) that the PM’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC) is considering a report titled “Monuments of National Importance — Urgent Need for rationalisation’ authored by Sanjeev Sanyal, pointing out that “the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)’s list of MNIs (Monuments[Read More…]
As India gets ready for the much debated annual budget of the union government (which will be presented on February 1), this may be a good time to consider some aspects of budget analysis. It is of course very clear that budget analysis can be a very useful exercise as the mass of statistics and information contained in the budget[Read More…]
The political campuses of India are in turmoil.Since the past week, we are witnessing all over India, a widespread political unrest in universities like JNU, Jamia, HCU, DU etc. where the students screened the BBC’s Documentary, India: The Modi Question. The most reactionary, neo-fascist modi government and RSS forces retaliated this move of students by using highly nefarious means, by[Read More…]
The social movement, called POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (or ‘anti-POSCO people’s movement – PPSS) is based in Odisha, India. The PPSS came together in 2005 to resist the development of an integrated steel complex by the South Korean POSCO corporation. It is estimated that, if the project were to go forward, it would displace up to 20,000 people from their[Read More…]
This holds true for millions who have fallen victim in their quest for their rights and for peace. And also for thousands targeted – killed and raped- during Gujarat-carnage in 2002. What else is suggested by “news” linked with what happened in Gujarat during 2002 hitting headlines once again? Notwithstanding the measures taken to prevent public screening of BBC documentary[Read More…]
It may or may not be a coincidence,but it is surely striking that from two countries regarded as close allies of Prime Minister Modi two quite alarming missiles have exploded near him and his close friend corporate magnate Gautam Adani.The BBC documentary directly holds him responsible for letting the ghastly pogrom of 2002 happen in Gujarat during his watch as[Read More…]
To Smt Droupadi Murmu President of India Rashtrapati Bhawan Respected Rashtrapati Ji, Subject:- A mega Infrastructure project being undertaken by the government in Great Nicobar Island, without prior consultation with the NCST, would be violative of the Constitutional mandate and adversely impact the lives of the local tribals I wish to express my utmost concern at the manner in which the Union[Read More…]
Indian actress and social media influencer Urfi Javed has said that she is facing difficulties in finding a home on rent in Mumbai for being “single,” “Muslim” and an “actress”. In her own words: “Muslim owners don’t want to rent me a house because of the way I dress, Hindu owners don’t want to rent me cause I’m Muslim. Some[Read More…]
Opening Pandora’s Box of CAA in northeast : Chakmas and Hajongs Protest in Jantar Mantar, Delhi, on January 8, 2023, against cancellation of Residential Proof Certificate (RPC) by the state government of Arunachal Pradesh. (Image Courtesy: Twitter) Home Minister Amit Shah recently claimed peace was restored, and insurgencies were resolved, in the Northeast by the Modi regime. He was[Read More…]
While these lines are being written, Adani group had already lost around more than $50 billion (more than Rs. 4 lakh crore), equaling almost 20 percent of its market value (‘aggregate market capitalization’) since January 24, following the release of the “credible and well-researched” report of Hindenburg Research alleging “brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over course of decades”[Read More…]
The Green Revolution greatly increased the country’s food production; But due to this, the farmers started to turn more towards cash crops than conventional crops. For the last few years, the farmers have been greatly affected by the global climate change. In the name of ‘modern lifestyle’, the dietary habits of many people have changed. It is very important to[Read More…]
Condemn the Indian Government’s attempt to stop screening of the documentary movie by the BBC on the role of Narendra Modi in the Gujarat Riot of 2002. Condemn the JNU administration’s choking of democratic space inside the campus The recently broadcast, “India: The Modi Question” (first part) is a BBC-made documentary on Narendra Modi and the Gujarat genocide of 2002.[Read More…]
Mr R.C. Bhargava, the high profile chairman of Maruti Suzuki, and the likes of him owe an explanation to the public for the situation so visible in many places in the country. There is a blatant encroachment by the motor car showroom on the footpath as well as the prominent artery S.V. Road in Bandra in Mumbai. And a serious[Read More…]
On the 74th anniversary of its formation a specter haunts the Indian Republic – the specter of Monarchy. For those who want to see or hear or feel it, the message has been proclaimed loudly from every RSS shakha in the country for decades. The coronation is all but done and only formalities remain. To be completed, perhaps in a[Read More…]
Thousands of people in Tughlaqabad, Delhi, will become homeless if the demolition notices served by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) are carried out within the next few days. These are working class poor people who pooled their savings and incurred debts in order to be able to somehow arrange their present shelter here. The threatened demolition is likely to[Read More…]
Dharavi is Asia’s biggest slum that became world famous through the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire (2008). Located in Mumbai, the financial capital of India, it symbolises India’s stature as the ‘citadel of global poverty’ and home to world’s major chunk of poverty-stricken people with around 250 million “extreme” or “absolute” poor, 60 million of them being slum dwellers. As a[Read More…]
After the capture of Air India by Tata group, which was a government airline, now the difficulties of the employees have deteriorated further. Tata Group has started reducing the salary of Air India employees, which is an act of grave injustice. This deduction is being made in the form of extorting house rent from the salaries of the employees living[Read More…]
Republic Day is the right time to re-confirm commitment to a path based on justice, equality, peace, harmony, genuine democracy and protection of environment, in keeping with the spirit of the constitution of India and the preceding freedom movement of India. In addition as at least the present phase of Bharat Jodo Yatra nears completion, with its emphasis on equality[Read More…]
Linking the name of prime minister Narendra Modi with the god man Asaram Bapu who is now behind bars for raping a girl devotee of his, may offend the sentiments of Modi’s devotees. But facts are too stubborn to be stamped down under covers. Let us therefore go back to the past, reveal a few facts and examine the relationship [Read More…]
We have not cared to question the state-led fashioning of an intricate network of digital data we have been forced to supply.All services provided by the state directly or indirectly have required and extorted our Aadhar number.Besides the different identifying coded names or numbers for different services are being linked through our own submissions without our being aware of potential[Read More…]
Past the halfway mark in the BBC documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’, Episode 1, is a clip of the BBC reporter interviewing Narendra Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat, soon after he had called for elections in a state still seething with the fresh wounds of post-Godhra communal riots in 2002. Every question she asks him, including about the violence[Read More…]
The workers of Zydus Company located in Sitarganj, Uttarakhand are persistently demanding action for the last 214 days.On January 18, under the banner of Zydus Wellness Employees Union affiliated to AICCTU, the labourers facing illegal detention organized a torch rally. The union alleges that even after the orders of the High Court Nainital and Sitarganj administration, Zydus Management refuses to[Read More…]
I am seventy years old. I was born in Quilon, Kerala. I studied in a college in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district of Kerala. After my graduation, I worked in many cities: Madras, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Bangalore and New Delhi. Now I am in Delhi. I have an Aadhar card, a PAN card and a Passport too, though it has expired now.[Read More…]
At a Press Conference held in Delhi on 18 January, the Government spokesman said, “The Nation will celebrate its 74th Republic Day on January 26, 2023. The celebrations include the traditional march past at Kartavya Path comprising a grand parade by the contingents of the Armed Forces & Paramilitary Forces; tableaux display by the States and Central Ministries/Departments; cultural performances by[Read More…]
At a time when the political and judicial discourse on forcible conversions is moving with animated political fervor in various States around the country, Chhattisgarh is witnessing a somewhat perplexing political phenomenon. Nearly 18 villages in Chhattisgarh have faced attacks after fringe Right Wing forces attacked and drove them out of their homes, villages, and the fields they cultivate. The[Read More…]
The terrible reality of the widening gap between the rich and the poor has been presented by the famous organization ‘Oxfam’ in its report. However, now a situation like ‘Survival of the Richest’ has arisen in India. The rich are getting richer while poverty is increasing day by day. Only 21 billionaires in the country have more wealth than 70[Read More…]
With the goal of raising class consciousness and mobilizing the working population of Banaras, especially the weavers, a meeting was organized at the Swayamvar Vatika on behalf of the Fatima-Savitri Janasamiti. The weavers themselves openly discussed the issues related to their status and wages in the programme. Mohammad Ahmad Ansari, who toils with his family on power looms, said that[Read More…]
When civil society recently came together in Goa under the rallying space of the Centre for Responsible Tourism to explore how the Goan economy could advance tourism in Goa, several pertinent issues arose. The view that tourism is an exclusively economic movement was seen as flawed and faulty. Tourism is in its essence is a social contract between those who[Read More…]
All India Peoples Front (AIPF) has brought out a booklet titled “Uttar Pradesh at a Glance” presenting a voluminous documentary evidence with solid figures to explain the current situation in Uttar Pradesh (UP). The 20-page booklet released by SR Darapuri, the National President of the organization, has many parts, which is written by the founder member Akhilendra Pratap Singh. In[Read More…]
When we discuss the caste question in Kerala, people acclaim with a loud clarion, “This is Kerala, there is no place for caste here. Keralites don’t believe in caste”. Even if we say this with utmost good intentions, we can see that covertly and openly, the diabolic caste oppression is still going on in Kerala. There are a plethora of[Read More…]
To Shri Debasish Panda Chairman Insurance Regulatory Authority of India (IRDAI) Dear Shri Panda, I have come across a news report today (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/insure/health-insurance/latest-general-and-health-insurance-claim-settlement-ratio-of-insurance-companies-in-india/printarticle/97081682.cms) that refers to information released by IRDAI on claim settlement ratios for life and general insurance claims in the case of private and public sector insurerers. According to that information, the claim settlement ratios for general insurance[Read More…]
The whole length of the Himalayan border, not just Uttarakhand, now in news because of Joshimath disaster, faces the risk. “Multi-hazard risk is expected to increase in the Hindu Kush Himalaya( HKH),”, says a study of January 2022, by Jack Rusk et al. “Half the Himalayan population is at risk of multiple – more than one type of – natural[Read More…]
In a recent 21 day march from Banswara to Jaipur, a distance of over 500 km., members of tribal communities of South Rajasthan and neighboring areas asserted the need for important policy changes keeping in view the harm being caused by over-centralizing tendencies which are imposing priorities and policies that are far from the priorities and real needs as understood[Read More…]
In a series of lectures in Vigyan Bhavan in 2018 Mohan Bhagwat spoke in a language due to which many insiders and many commentators outside the Sangh felt that it is a major moment for RSS and it is changing drastically. The RSS supremo went to the extent of reciting the preamble of Indian Constitution and upheld secularism and socialism.[Read More…]
On 11th January 2023, a joint operation was launched by the CoBRA squad of the Central Reserve Police Force, the anti-Naxal squad of Greyhound and the District Reserve Guard comprising the SPOs of the notorious Salwa Judum. According to different news reports, widespread aerial bombings have been carried out on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. CDRO firmly believes that these aerial bombings,[Read More…]
Supreme Court of India has agreed to entertain a sensitive socio-religious issue related to sanctification of marriage of a minor girl on her attaining puberty by Muslim personal law. It has also annulled the Punjab and Haryana High Court that validated marriage of a 15-year old Muslim girl. The contradictory judgments of various courts on child marriage with regards to[Read More…]
Resist the Executive’s Attempt to Discredit & Undermine Independence of the Judiciary. As the Modi government reaches the final stretch of its second five-year term, one can see the beginnings of its new priorities. The drumbeats against the judiciary, the lone institution which is not totally within its control, have become louder. Right from the Law Minister to the Vice[Read More…]
The performance of the country’s agriculture sector in the economy and the life of the common farmers are becoming difficult day by day. As much as the economy has changed in the last thirty years after the implementation of new economic policies, the agriculture sector does not seem to have had a positive impact. In that, there is a lot[Read More…]
Belsonica Mazdoor Union of Maruti’s component manufacturing company Belsonica Plant at IMT Manesar, Haryana undertook a boycott of lunch for 6 days. The management had suspended a permanent worker for 6 days, against which union members protested. Belsonica Management had suspended a labourer named Sudhir Tripathi for 6 days. The management had asked Sudhir to leave his place of[Read More…]
Oxfam India’s just released report ‘Survival of the Richest: The India Story’ has made a strong case for taxing the richest sections to find the resources for substantially stepping up funds for social sector, particularly health and education. Released close to the coming union budget, this report is expected to pitch the budget debate strongly in favor of reducing inequalities.[Read More…]
With due respect and honour, I am drawing the attention of yours and of your political party, through this letter, to the several basic issues related to the protection of humanity and the protection of life as well as livelihood of the future generations of our state Odisha. In the eyes of you and your party, I have a different[Read More…]
In terms of beauty, Bandra suburban railway station in the Victorian Gothic style , is next only to the world heritage site of Victoria Terminus now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. The Bandra heritage station, built in the 19th century, is now restored after more than two years of work , looks impressive and is to be inaugurated by this month end.[Read More…]
Tip of the iceberg: Land subsidence in the Uttarakhand hills seems to be taking its heavy toll, not merely in Joshimath and Karanprayag, where many structures have developed cracks, but it is also likely to affect the other towns, including Gopeshwar in Chamoli district (where Joshimath is situated), Ghansali in Tehri district, Munsiari and Dharchula in Pithoragarh district, Bhatwari in[Read More…]
Approaching RSS Fascism BJP with 180 million-membership (as claimed by it in 2019) and wielding India’s state power today is the political tool of RSS, the longest-running and biggest fascist organization in the world. The RSS with Manusmriti as its ideological basis was founded in 1925 with Hedgewar as the first Sarsanghchalka almost at the same time when ‘classical’ fascism[Read More…]
There was a new zeal and enthusiasm, and a strong sense of comradeship among the people of Markhera village as they assembled to plan the forests they were going to create near their temple. The temple site was chosen as the forest and the birds likely to find shelter in this were considered to be safer here. These villagers had[Read More…]
Courtesy: timesofindia.com. “Historically, people in the north-east haven’t worshipped Ram as a deity…Hundreds of saffron activists quietly hit the streets to bring the people of the north-east on the Ram page, with the BJP’s battle-cry of ‘Jai Shri Ram…’ Almost 13,000 kayrakartas RSS and its sister outfits in the north-east tried to reach as many households as possible and[Read More…]
While a lot of research has strengthened the case for spreading natural farming, a practical factor which has hindered its spread in India is that several farmers find it difficult to take up production of organic manures and pest-repellants for self-use, even though all the raw materials are available right within their home or close to them. In the most[Read More…]
The Supreme Court has stayed the Uttarakhand High Court order of 20 December 2022 on the immediate land eviction – or rather, land bulldozing in Banbhoolpura, Haldwani. For the people to be affected, this may be a relief – perhaps only a temporary relief, if you are cautious enough. The Supreme Court underlined the need to consider the humanitarian aspect[Read More…]
Can the Guwahati High Court’s Judgement on ‘Illegal Demolitions’ act as a break to the growing normalisation of ‘Bulldozer Justice’ ? There are interventions of courts which occasionally reverberate across the country. The recent judgement of the Guwahati High Court which had suo moto taken up a petition regarding ‘illegal demolitions’ of houses in Village Salonabari, Nagaon district in Assam[Read More…]
Stop the Genocidal war with aerial bombing on Chhatisgarh-Telangana Border ! On Wednesday, 11th Jan 2023, a joint operation was launched by Central Reserve Police Force, Greyhound and CoBRA (Elite Anti Naxal Squad), District Reserve Guard (comprising of Infamous SPOs of Salwa Judum) in the wee hours. According to the varying news reports, the attempt is to target an[Read More…]
Towards the last phase of his life K.P.Sasi, the filmmaker, cartoonist and activist, obsessed about a one-point agenda he wanted all his friends, colleagues, contacts to work towards. To ‘Defeat the BJP in 2024’. A few months before he passed away Sasi sent a passionate note to his wide network of friends appealing for a joint effort to ensure the[Read More…]
On January 18th, 1982 the working class movement commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Textile Workers Strike that lasted for 18 months, till July 1983. It was landmark event that played a major role in shaping the working class movement. With more than 2.5 lakh workers from 65 textile mills joining in this strike for almost two years, this strike[Read More…]
To Rahul Gandhi, the Congress Party MP Dear Rahul, Welcome to Punjab. It is good to see you leading Bharat Jodo Yatra during these difficult times. This initiative was much needed ever since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. It would have been better had all the non-BJP parties come together to start it. However, it goes to your[Read More…]
Phulabai is a dalit woman farmer who, together with her husband, Sarman Chadaar, grows guavas and pomegranates on tiny plots of land. On another smaller plot they grow a diversity of vegetable crops with a few papaya trees standing in the middle of these. When I recently visited their one acre farm in Digaura village of Tikamgarh district (Madhya Pradesh),[Read More…]
Bharat Jodo Yatra, which began over three months ago, is in the closing phase of its journey as it is now in Haryana and heading for its destination in Srinagar. I had been following this yatra from Kanyakumari, its paying homage to Swami Vivekananda rock memorial and then carrying on its route, which covers twelve states and two Union territories.[Read More…]
I am raising a serious issue that touches upon a person’s legal right of exclusive possession of his/her personal creation – whether a scientific formula, or a literary piece, or even a political programme. This is known as copyright, or patent in relation with certain products. If anyone uses that material without the permission of its original author, or fails [Read More…]
On January 8th the 6th martyrdom anniversary of Late Mata Gurdev Kaur was observed by Zameen Prapt Sangarsh Commitee in village Jaloor in Sangrur. Faces of participants were written with relentless spirit to pursue the path of Gurdev Kaur,who was martyred confronting caste oppression. Even of only around 400 persons participated, the event was qualitatively a hit. Gurdev Kaur was[Read More…]
Mali Parbat, a hill rich with Bauxite, sacred to local tribes in Koraput District of Odisha, is facing threat of destruction as Mining Giant Hindalco (Aditya Birla Group) is seeking to mine 268.1 hectares of land. The people are opposing the proposed mining for almost 2 decades and therefore, facing brute militarisation, intimidation and arrests. The matter is also being[Read More…]
To Shri Rajiv Kumar Chief Election Commissioner Election Commission of India (ECI) Shri A C Pandey Election Commissioner ECI Shri Arun Goel Election Commissioner ECI Dear S/Shri Rajiv Kumar/ Pandey/ Goel, I have addressed you a letter on 7-1-2022 (https://countercurrents.org/2023/01/use-of-remote-evms-for-migrants-eci-should-set-its-house-in-order/), in connection with the proposed introduction of remote EVMs for enfranchising migrant voters and, in that connection, I[Read More…]
India’s Prime Minister Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Welcoming Dinner during G20 Leaders’ Summit, 15th November 2022, in Badung, Bali. (Photo | PTI) It was the first time that the two leaders publicly exchanged words since a military standoff in Galwan Valley in April 2020. “Their exchange may not indicate a return to normalcy between the two[Read More…]
Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo Yatra” (Unite India March) has certainly helped him gain more than expected attention at practically all levels, from media, political rivals as well as supporters, common people and also celebrities. He and his party have apparently not spared investment of efforts, energy, time, funds and so much more. While these have contributed to him capture headlines[Read More…]
‘Eggs in our plate, no more debate’, read the placard being held by a 5-year-old in front of Chhattisgarh health minister TS Singh Deo’s residence on Sunday morning. He, along with his mother and at least 150 other women and children were demanding the inclusion of eggs in the aanganwadi and school meals as part of the Anda Do Campaign.[Read More…]
Workers of Bhagwati Products based in Sidkul Pant Nagar and Zydus Wellness located in Sitarganj, Uttarakhand launched a rally and demonstrated at the district collectorate under the leadership of Shramik United Morcha Udham Singh Nagar with regard to resumption of work and other problems. On the conclusion of the rally, the workers of both the companies submitted a 6-point collective[Read More…]
To Shri Rajiv Kumar Chief Election Commissioner Shri A C Pandey Election Commissioner Shri Arun Goel Election Commissioner Dear S/Shri Rajiv Kumar/ Pandey/ Goel, I refer to the Commission’s proposal to introduce Remote EVMs to enable migrant workers to cast their votes in their home constituencies. While the Commission’s effort to include migrant workers in the electoral[Read More…]
For a prolonged period of 18-19 years Bhojan Mata workers of Uttarakhand have dedicatedly served the schools, and are now unceremoniously being rusticated. They have been subjected to severe turmoil in recent times, being denied adequate wages, and paid a meagre Rs 2000 Salary. The administration has displayed sheer apathy to their plight. Displaying relentless spirit women food works lodged[Read More…]
There were strong reasons why the issue of impending demolitions in Haldwani had so quickly led to national level sympathy and support for the threatened nearly 50,000 people, and there are equally strong reasons why the Supreme Court order of January 5 providing relief to them deserves widespread appreciation. It is obvious that the badly threatened, deeply worried people, faced[Read More…]
The problems of the employees of Delhi Transport Corporation are aggravating, day by day.DTC Employees Ekta Union’ wrote a letter to the Chief Minister of Delhi informing him about the problems faced by the employees. The union says that the pensioners of Delhi Transport Corporation have been denied pension for the last 2 months. Apart from this, the union has[Read More…]
In a fair world, Aruna Rodrigues would be heralded as an incredible individual for her ongoing struggle to protect the socio-economic and environmental integrity of India. So says respected environmentalist, author and campaigner Leo Saldanha. He adds: “Since 2005, she has tirelessly pursued a public interest litigation before the Supreme Court of India, in which she has made a case[Read More…]
To Smt Droupadi Murmu President of India Rashtrapati Bhawan Subject:- Migrant Gutti Koyas (Murias) in Telangana facing a humanitarian crisis- Urgent need for recognition of their Constitutional rights in Telangana, AP, Odisha and Maharashtra Respected Rashtrapati Ji, A severe conflict situation in Chhattisgarh State since 2005-06 has forced more than 50,000 Muria adivasis, recognised as a Scheduled Tribe (ST) in their[Read More…]
Millions of domestic workers in India, an overwhelming majority of them women, have suffered reduced real earnings and increased debts in recent times. In fact in some cases even actual earnings have declined, while after taking into account the impact of inflation, the decline of real wages can be seen in almost all cases. Aasmeen leaves her home in Shahbad[Read More…]
In a country where most people face severe constraints in the struggle to meet their basic needs, the question of housing is the most challenging one for many of them, particularly in urban areas. Most of them have to use each and every paisa of their meager savings and incur loans in very difficult circumstances in order to be able[Read More…]
by Suryashekhar Biswas & Sachi Workers of the Indian Telecommunication Industries Ltd. (ITI) have been on a sit-in protest outside the factory premises in Dooravani Nagar, Bangalore, since 1 December 2021. They have been protesting against their arbitrary termination from work following the formation of a union and demanding their basic rights—such as equal treatment for workers from marginalised castes[Read More…]
An incident of a gruesome murder has come to the fore after the rape of a 7-year-old girl in Faridabad, Haryana. This case engulfs Ankhir village, where Ravinder alias Raja’s son Jai Prakash raped and murdered the daughter of a daily wage labourer family, Munni (name changed), living in a small rented room on December 27. Presently the police have[Read More…]
If workers struggle for a long time for protective legislation and also succeed in their aim, but the protective law is threatened by dilution and restrictive changes even before its benefits can reach most workers, then should they not re-assert to protect this law? This is a question which construction workers face today in the context of the threat of[Read More…]
In Banbhalpur basti in Haldwani town of Uttarkhand, residents are waging a resolute battle to protect their bastis. A candle march was launched comprising local residents and activists of progressive organisations. Strong solidarity was offered by the Socialist groups to the working and toiling people. On 27th December a joint meeting was held by Socialist groups .Over a thousand people[Read More…]
Much heart-burning and grumbling seem to have followed the not unexpected SC verdict on Demonetisation.It was a little naive to expect the contrary.For had the SC verdict gone the other way,it would not have been a mere loss of face for the PM.It would have conceivably gone all the way to delegitimise the Modi government,and the consequences might have led[Read More…]
Map of western sector of LAC, with different claim lines. On July 1, 1954, Nehru wrote a directive ordering the withdrawal of “all our old maps dealing with the frontier – new maps should be printed showing our Northern and North-Eastern frontier…These new maps should also not state that there is any un-demarcated territory.” China built in Aksai chin a[Read More…]
A film on “GM Mustard: Facts and Lies” an interview with Devinder Sharma, Agriculture and Food Policy Expert.
In Haldwani, Uttarakhand, the struggle of the people of Banbhulpura against the bulldozer rule heroically simmers at full pitch. On the evening of Thursday, 29 December, a huge candle march was taken out in Banbhulpura area to protect settlements. The people of Banbhulpura flung on the streets to protest against the action of bulldozers demolishing thousands of houses built on[Read More…]
A Brief Report on the violence against the Church‐going Adivasi Community of Narayanpur and Kondagaon in Bastar, Chhattisgarh Summary A 6‐member team of CBA visited the church‐going community2 of Narayanpur and Kondagaon on 24.12.2022, who had been driven out of their traditional villages and had taken shelter in the Indoor Stadium at Narayanpur following large scale violence against the community[Read More…]
How Construction Workers Sink Deeper into Poverty and Debt Keshav and Somvati are residents of a hut in Shahbad dairy colony of Delhi. When lockdown was announced in 2020 they were in Gujarat to work in a construction project. The closure was so sudden and placed them in such a difficult position in a new area where they had hardly[Read More…]
When two path-breaking laws were passed in India in 1996 for construction workers, there was great hope among tens of millions of these workers for a range of benefits and welfare measures promised by these laws. Despite a delayed and hesitant start, these hopes got a boost more recently when the Supreme Court gave strong directions for the better implementation[Read More…]
Climate Disaster; as the mounting scientific evidence is pointing to a fast-approaching inevitable happening of ‘human extinction’, the attention of the world is turning towards the details of the potential manmade disaster. Crazy! You guys are bothered about your extinction. It seems absurd as you shout and debate in hundreds of seminars and COPs! How come you guys gain more[Read More…]
Mr. Narendra Modi The Prime Minister of India Dear Sir, Please accept my condolences for the passing away of your mother. I myself lost my father in 2017 and often feel sad about his death five years later. So I can relate with your pain. These must be difficult times for you, and I hope you recover soon. It was[Read More…]
These days Azamgarh is in the process of constructing an International airport at Manduri,with the Modi-Yogi government endorsing a dream project. For the last seventy-two days, 670 acres of land in eight villages of Khiria Bagh is in the process of being snatched by the government for the construction of an international airport. This has invited a strong resurgence from[Read More…]
Waiving off the subsidized price in no way covers even the cost of buying 5 kgs of ration from the open market The Right to Food Campaign condemns the sheer insensitivity of the Central Government’s policy decision which will result in reducing the ration entitlement of 81 crore people by 50%. Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, (NFSA), all[Read More…]
Respected Yogi Maharaj, We were to take out a padyatra during 24-27 December, 2022 from Varanasi to Manduri, Azamgarh in support of a farmers’ movement going on at Manduri since 13 October against a proposed international airport which would involve taking over of 670 acres of land belonging to 8 villages uprooting close to ten thousand people. This padyatra was[Read More…]
Greetings from Anti- Jindal & Anti- POSCO Movement, Odisha, India! Before I share developments in our area, let me share our grief that the Anti POSCO & Anti JINDAL movement lost a dear and most valuable friend of the movement KP Sasi. The protesting villagers will never forget his contribution and support. We offer deep condolences to his family and[Read More…]
Demonetisation is an example of a needless policy which failed because of lack of consultation and inadequate understanding of the issues. It led to a policy-induced crisis that deeply impacted the nation: all because democracy was not allowed its full play. In a vibrant democracy, critique of policy a) makes for a) better policies, and b) helps correct mistakes as[Read More…]
In a recent press release the director general of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) explained various issues relating to GM mustard approval. He also issued orders against presenting opinion or writing articles, different from the stated documentation and decisions made by the regulators, on the subject by serving or former officials. Since then several persons well-informed on this[Read More…]
One thing the opposition may learn from the RSS/BJP combine is that the latter has always the big picture in mind in planning its course of action and making its tactical moves.Something the fragmented opposition fighting among themselves and used to moving down the beaten track have not been able to do. It knows that by renewing the furore about[Read More…]
The Zameen Prapt Sangharsh Committee on Friday on December 23rd, concluded its five day protest outside the district collectors office in Sangrur. For 5 continuous days the dalit agricultural labourers waged a relentless battle for their demands. Prominent leaders were Bikar Singh Hathua,Paramjit Longowal, and Gurvinder Shahdari who expressed that they would placed the demands before the DPO of Sangur[Read More…]
The Mac Mahon Line drawn by the British was never accepted by China, even in the pre-Communist era, even a century ago when it was drawn. It was a line “drawn on a map without surveys, was neither delineated nor demarcated,” commented AS Bhasin, the Director (Retd) of the History department of India’s Foreign Ministry. The Dec 9 clash[Read More…]
Inaugurating the first Global Innovation Summit of the pharmaceuticals sector in November, 2021, Prime Minister Modi, in his characteristic triumphant style, said, “the global trust earned by the Indian healthcare sector (in recent times) has led to the nation being called the “pharmacy of the world” (https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/india-is-now-being-called- pharmacy-of-the-world-says-pm-modi-121111801288_1.html). It is true that the Indian pharmaceutical sector meets 50% of the[Read More…]
Only recently, the Chief Minister of Goa warned the people of the State in rough and ready terms: ‘I will not brook any criticism of the PM’. In the ever-widening threat of trampling public discourse and media freedom, I pondered as to how long more one would be able to read a valid newspaper, or tune into critical news coverage[Read More…]
To Smt Droupadi Murmu President of India Rashtrapati Bhawan Respected Rashtrapati Ji, In June this year, while addressing a gathering in the UK, Justice Shri D Y Chandrachud, the present Chief Justice of India (CJI), was reported to have made the following observations. “the Constitution’s transformative dimension comes from its attempt to remedy discrimination. Flowing from it, working towards equality needs to consider[Read More…]
Centre withheld over 7,500 cr funds, 2,744 cr due to NREGA workers Centre hasn’t sanctioned labour budget for 2022-23 Loss of around 4687-6842 crores of NREGA wages this FY due to stoppage of work Average days of work for the current year dropped to meagre 23 from 63.46 days (pre-covid) and 49.96 days (post-covid) Victimisation of workers: MGNREGA workers in[Read More…]
This is part-1 of a Review of the recent, India-China December 9 clash. Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) statement on the December 9 clash between Indian and Chinese troops at LAC Yangtse, Tawang sector, Arunachal Pradesh, is given below: The notable points of the statement are that it is an area of LAC with differing perceptions, wherein both sides[Read More…]
1 Ravela Somaiya, a senior socialist friend living in Hyderabad, had sent a video to me about two months back. I opened the video and found Ramchandra Guha’s speech in it, which was delivered at Ashoka University, Sonipat, Haryana. I closed the video without listening to that speech. This university came into limelight last year for abruptly terminating the services[Read More…]
Indians’ headlong zeal for digital payments is curious to me. I’m not reflexively anti-technology, but I do believe there are limits. And even on a short trip to India, with relatively few financial dealings, I’ve come to believe that carrying cash is still a good idea. And one that I will hold onto. In the Odyssey, the hero comes upon[Read More…]
The following quote is from the first paragraph of Lenin’s great work; The State and Revolution: The Marxist Theory of the State and the Tasks of the Proletariat in the Revolution (2017) underlining a cardinal truth; how rulers and their henchmen/women repress those ideologies and individuals who strive to emancipate masses from the exploitative rules. This chameleon like lot uses[Read More…]
The book ‘Fractured Freedom’ is an autobiography of Kobad Gandhi’s difficult journey so far. This is the story of his wife Anuradha and Kobad Gandhi’s life so far. Working for the underprivileged, marginalized. From the book, it is understood that the aim of his life is to promote more human values, social justice should reach the grassroots of the society.[Read More…]
A hunger strike has been launched by five landless dalit activists in the dharna of the Zameen Prapt Sangharsh Commitee, started on December 19th.Inspite of the bitter cold the protestors have intensified at the District collector office, the tempo of the agitation on the third day, at a boiling point. Two women participants fell ill due to the weather. It[Read More…]
Sachar Committee which was appointed by UPA I in 2005 released its report in 2006. It observed that the condition of Muslim community in all areas of social and political life has been sliding down. Faced with the insecurity due to violence against them, its representation in social-political life has been going down for a free fall. UPA in all[Read More…]
To Shri Rajesh Bhushan Union Health Secretary Dear Shri Rajesh Bhushan, I had earlier expressed my concerns about the implications of the death of 70 children in Gambia, allegedly the victims of substandard cough syrup manufactured by Maiden Pharma in Haryana. My letters 6-10-2022 and 12-10-2022 refer (https://countercurrents.org/2022/10/death-of-children-in-gambia-action-against-the-drug-regulators-called-for/?swcfpc=1). You may have seen the recent news reports on a Select[Read More…]
The recent clashes involving cruise tourists, tour operators and taxi-folk have lessons that the Goa Tourism ministry can apply. Tourism must, of necessity, bring gains to the hosts who are the local community. Tourism is, of essence, a socio-cultural transaction between the visitors and visited. The numerous clashes which occur in tourism are because of the commercial impulse big business[Read More…]
Members of the Zameen Prapati Sangharsh Committee (ZPSC) launched an indefinite protest outside Sangrur Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office yesterday as a result of abject failure of the authorities to fulfil promise to their long-pending demands. Around 400 persons participated, mainly women, with wrath written on their faces against the government apathy. Illustration of the bankruptcy of the Aam Admi party[Read More…]
With the onset of FIFA World Cup, Kerala’s football fanatics have geared up the game ahead. The giant cut-out of Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo in the pullavoor river in Kozhikode is a paradigm of how Kerala’s passion for football pumps through the veins. As fans roots for football legends Messi ,Neymar and Ronaldo world cup fever is interestingly reaching heights[Read More…]
One third of primary schools in Jharkhand have a single teacher. Pupil attendance is just 68% in primary schools and 58% in upper-primary. Right to Education Act grossly violated in all government schools A new survey report, Gloom in the Classroom, lays bare the dismal state of the schooling system in Jharkhand and the depth of the post-Covid crisis.[Read More…]
Assam is the dark side of the planet that is India.Rest of India neither knows nor cares what happens there.That has happened time and again.That is to say India does not seem to really know what is happening to it or it is impossible to retrieve the truth from the messy accumulation of lies and distortions.For example the truth about[Read More…]
Boycott ‘Pathaan’ trend has been doing rounds on social media in India ever since the movie’s song ‘Besharam Rang’ has been released recently. On several fronts, a few of the people with no job in their hand remain intact in searching the solid bases for boycotting the movie. This time, the boycott clique is coming forward with so many issues,[Read More…]
Muslims will suffer the most. This will lead further marginalization of Muslims in higher education. In India, the nightmare for Indian Muslims does not appear to be ending anytime soon. As if the daily physical and virtual assaults on Indian Muslims weren’t enough, the government of India has decided to further torment the Muslim community by scrapping the Maulana[Read More…]
India is the second largest food producing country in the world and we are number one in the production of milk, pulses, rice, fish, vegetables and wheat. Despite this, a large population of the country is a victim of malnutrition. According to the United Nations’ report ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022’, people’s struggle with[Read More…]
The Prime Minister and others glorifying the speed culture on our highways should read this and ponder. Hundreds of vehicles ran over a man on the highway near Miraj in Maharashtra , parts of his body were scattered all over. No driver cared to stop. This is speed culture for you. The Nagpur-Shirdi stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg inaugurated by[Read More…]
One of the worst developments of 2022 was the electoral victory of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Gujarat state of India. The December 8 assembly polls gave a clear verdict in favour of the BJP, which won 156 out of 182 seats, forming government for seventh term in a row. Like it or not, the[Read More…]
Imagine, if voting for the Himachal and Gujarat Assemblies was to take place on the same day, let’s say on 12 November or 1 December or 5 December – and not on these three separate days! Do you think the outcome of the voting would have been the same, as these have turned out to be? Or if not, then[Read More…]
In the recently held elections, MCD, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, BJP came with thumping majority in Gujarat, while losing badly in MCD to AAP and Himachal to Congress. In Himachal though the total votes polled by Congress and BJP are having a narrow margin, Congress won with a reasonable majority of 40. While BJP was loser in Delhi and Himachal,[Read More…]
Opening mining of atomic minerals to private parties detrimental to national interest To Shri Rajiv Gauba Union Cabinet Secretary Dear Shri Gauba, Please refer to my letter dated 7-10-2022 on the far reaching implications of allowing private companies to mine atomic minerals and the need for revoking recent amendments to the Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDRA) in furtherance[Read More…]
Ei Muhurte Kichhu Bhavna of West Bengal activists have been closely studying the movement of dalit agricultural workers f Punjab in relation to the agrarian revolutionary movement of Punjab and integration with movement of landed farmers. It just presented a report on its experiences and reflected their interpretation. The organisation in Punjab that is fighting for land for the landless,[Read More…]
A lot has been written on the split decision of the Constitution Bench of the Hon’ble Supreme Court upholding reservation for economically weaker sections, need not be repeated. Only one thing needs to be highlighted that there was no division in the constitution bench of the Hon’ble Supreme Court regarding economic reservation. A five-judge bench agreed that reservation should be[Read More…]
Ram Madhav, the RSS leader in his article “Know your History” (I.E. December 3, 2022) argues that Rahul Gandhi (RG) does not understand about Ambedkar and Savarkar. He was criticizing R G’s statement in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, birth place of Dr. Ambedkar. As per Madhav, contrary to RG’s saying that RSS is showing fake sympathy for Babasaheb Ambedkar and is[Read More…]
The 22nd State Conference of Progressive Democratic Students Union was successfully staged at Nizamabad, Telangana on 1-3 December. Very positive to witness such a resurgence of democratic revolutionary spirit within the student community, when forces of reaction are operating at helm to patronise globalisation and Hindutva fascism. The legacy of the PDSU was continued which was born in the turbulent[Read More…]
Advertisements of the murderous Vedanta Sterlite Corporation have been appearing for the past few days in newspapers and television. “Strike is towards Destruction, Scholarships awarded to Tuticorin children, Green Tuticorin – 1.25 lakh trees planted” are advertised. Sterlite Vedanta Corporation has been involved in various crimes like operating without permission, direct burial of hazardous waste in the soil and not[Read More…]
To Smt Nirmala Sitharaman Union Finance Minister Dear Smt Sitharaman, The Vizhinjam Port project being set up in Kerala as a “Landlord PPP” project involves partial financial support from the Centre towards “Viability GAP Funding”, in accordance with the PPP format developed by the erstwhile Planning Commission. The Kerala State Govt, after inviting bids from prospective promoters for the PPP[Read More…]
Endless speculations are being voiced following the Assembly election results of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. There is nothing astonishing about this. However, it is a little difficult to accept hype being raised about Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s victory against dismal performance of Congress and of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Gujarat. BJP was expected to win. Given the nature of[Read More…]
The BJP can tom-tom as much as it wants its landslide victory in Gujarat Assembly elections 2022 as ‘Modi Magic’, but the fact is the party is well past its electoral heyday under Modi. The three elections that took place in recent weeks started with the following equation: BJP + 3. BJP held the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), as[Read More…]
#Partition #MoinAkhtar #MarinaKhan#KingKhan #FawadKhan #OyeeAyesha #etc! #IndiaPakistan Once upon a time,….. No this is not a story with a beginning, middle and an end; rather this is a sago khichdi, the sure fire trick to get your hands dirty. Partition is a Classical story, that doesn’t want to end, despite our desperate trying pleading beseeching and despite its being seventy[Read More…]
In the viral video of a court session from Nov 23, 2022, Justice Sandeep Kumar of Patna High Court is heard asking a suspended Land Acquisition Officer of the Bihar government whether he got the job through reservation, which triggered laughter from lawyers in the courtroom. “Bharti ji reservation per aaye the naukari me kya? (Bharti ji, did you get[Read More…]
The result of Gujarat election was a foregone conclusion with pundits contesting on the sweeping margins of BJP’s win. Unlike last time, Congress was missing from the field, giving space for AAP to make inroads and BJP to split the disgruntled voters. With more than 50 percentage of votes, BJP has secured seventh straight streak of victory. The unexpected debacle[Read More…]
It is surprising that Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis embarked on the speed misadventure on the Samruddhi Mahamarg highway on December 4, so soon after the death in a road crash of Cyrus Mistry, former chairperson of Tata group. Mr Fadnavis himself was at the wheel driving at a speed of some 120 km[Read More…]
At the 53rd International film festival of India in Goa, in the concluding remarks made by Nadav Lapid, the Israeli filmmaker came down heavily upon The Kashmir Files. He called the film propaganda and vulgar movie which was inappropriate for an artistic competitive film section of such a prestigious Film Festival. Soon after, Israel’s ambassador to India criticised the filmmaker[Read More…]
When I heard about Ravish Kumar resigning from NDTV’s news channel, everything went dark for me though it was a bright and sunny afternoon. I have come to accept this darkness in the media world as I do the evening of my life. There is no future to think about but the present and its reigning darkness. With Ravish Kumar,[Read More…]
Statement to Bharat Jodo Yatra on the need for innovative, fundamental alternatives to currently dominant economic and political system We appreciate the attempt by participants of the Bharat Jodo Yatra to create a platform for people’s voices to be heard, and especially for healing rifts created by communal politics and the increasingly fascist-like situation in India. In many ways this[Read More…]
A few weeks ahead of the Christmas Celebrations, hundreds of people gathered at the community centre of New Delhi’s Sacred Heart Cathedral. The occasion was the book release function of Aadhunik Bharat Nirman mein Esaiayat ka Yogdan (The Contribution of Christianity to the Making of Modern India). Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto released the book on Monday. The book is the fruit[Read More…]
Bharat Raul’s family lived a happy life in a nice single storey settlement , Wadi, amidst coconut trees in a prime area in Mahim in Mumbai in the 1960s. Then the municipal corporation displaced it along with others for civic works and relocated them to five storey buidings near Mahim east station. . This is fine area with trees, wide[Read More…]
Some time back a friend of Teesta Setalvad,one of the most courageous and outstanding Human Rights workers in the country,asked me to write a brief piece on what the Constitution of India mean to me.At that time,what with my involvement in various protest movements and my writing engagements,I could not find time to comply.Then it also occurred to me that[Read More…]
The Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi airports have recently begun the ‘DigiYatra’ service. It is a facial recognition technology (FRT)-based passenger boarding system verified by Aadhar details. Recent news also says that the Western Railways’ use of its FRT-based surveillance system has reduced crime on its routes and stations. Earlier this week, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Mumbai[Read More…]
Several distressing reports of justice being denied to displaced and evicted people have been received from time to time. Sometimes those who have been promised satisfactory compensation and rehabilitation have to wait endlessly for years for this. In this context the strong action taken recently by a District Court for providing speedy justice has proved very effective in Himachal Pradesh[Read More…]
Contractual electricity workers in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia have launched a strike from December 2 near the office of the Executive Engineer (Electrical Testing Division), demanding fair wages, ESI and against privatization. On Saturday, the district administration mercilessly attacked the protesting workers and displaced them from the protest site. Not only this, the administration demolished their tents as well. Such an[Read More…]
Introduction While these line are being written, in continuation of the BJP-CPI (M) joint meeting in solidarity with Adani, the CPI (M) led Kerala government has given its green signal before the High Court of Kerala for the deployment of Central Forces at Vizhinjam to safeguard the corporate interests of Adani, biggest Indian corporate and world’s third richest according to[Read More…]
Smt Nirmala Sitharaman Finance Minister, Government of India Dear Madam, Social Security Pensions and Maternity Entitlements This is a follow-up to our letters of 20 December 2017 and 21 December 2018 (addressed to your predecessor, Shri Arun Jaitley), where we tried to flag two priorities for the next Union Budget: an increase in social security pensions, and adequate provision[Read More…]
Shri G C Murmu Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) Dear Shri Murmu, I write this in continuation of my letter dated 23-11-2022 (http://eassarma.in/sites/default/files/public/Vedanta-Foxconn-Letter-to-CAG.pdf), in which I had expressed my concerns at the excessively large capital subsidies provided to profit earning private corporate groups in the guise of the stated objective, “building Indian capabilities in semiconductor manufacturing is an imperative for[Read More…]
The Manipal Institute of Technology in Karnataka has suspended an assistant professor after a video showing a Muslim student powerfully criticizing him for calling him by a terrorist’s name went viral on social media. Reacting to the teacher labelling him as “Kasab” after the 26/11 gunman Ajmal Kasab, the student says, “Being a Muslim in this country and facing all[Read More…]
The extremely serious issue of the threat of genetic contamination caused by genetically modified or engineered (GM or GE) crops finally reached the Supreme Court of India on November 30 in the context of on-going cases relating to the introduction of GM Mustard in India. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, after pointing out the serious implications of this risk in a country[Read More…]
To Ms Leena Nandan Secretary Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MEFCC) Govt of India Dear Ms Nandan, I understand that your Ministry has taken action to introduce a Bill to amend the Forest (Conservation) Rules in the Parliament during the ensuing winter session. The Bill has far reaching implications for the lives of the adivasis across the country[Read More…]
Rahul Gandhi’s in one of his recent statements about Adivasis said “The people of BJP don’t call you Adivasi. What do they call you? Vanvasi. They don’t tell you that you are the first owners of Hindostan. They tell you live in jungles…” The word used for these aborigines is Scheduled Tribes in the Constitution. It is interesting to recall[Read More…]
The recent controversy that erupted in the aftermath of the sexist statements by Imam Bukhari of the Jama Masjid in Delhi, has yet again brought the national spotlight to the issue of Muslim women being denied their Constitutional right to pray in the Masjid. The patriarchal & religious conservative male dominated leadership of the Muslim community swears by the secular[Read More…]
Respected Sir, We as concerned citizens, social activists, political and human rights activists, environmentalists and journalists and the leaders of twelve mass organizations on behalf of Bisthapan Birodhi Jana Andolon Mancha, Odisha appeal for the protection of natural resources and an immediate end to the continuous forceful displacement of people from their lands and dwelling places. We express our protest[Read More…]
State governments are perplexed by the long delay in convening the quarterly Goods and Services Tax council meeting. The council has not met over the last four-and-a-half months whereas the Procedure and Conduct of Business Regulations of the GST Council stipulates that it has to meet once every quarter of a financial year. The West Bengal government shot off a[Read More…]
In last five years Rs. 10,09,510 crores taken as loans by various companies from banks in India has been declared as Non Performing Assets, an euphemism for writing them off. Out of this State Bank of India alone wrote off Rs. 2,04,486 crores. Only about 13% of the total written off amount was recovered. Identity of the defaulting borrowers, most[Read More…]
To Shri Rajiv Kumar Chief Election Commissioner Shri A C Pandey Election Commissioner Shri A Goel Election Commissioner Dear S/Shri Rajiv Kumar/ Pandey and Goel, I refer to my two letters of November 26 & 28, 2022 (http://eassarma.in/sites/default/files/public/MCC-Gujarat-Letter-dated_26-11-2022-to-CEC.pdf & http://eassarma.in/sites/default/files/public/Letter-to-ECI_28-11-2022.pdf) on possible violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in Gujarat by Shri Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, in[Read More…]
Many scientists lobbying for the deregulation of agricultural biotechnology ‘new genomic techniques’ (NGTs) in the European Union have either direct or indirect interests in commercialising and marketing new genetically modified organisms (GMOs). They have patents or patent applications or other connections to the seed industry. That is the conclusion of a September 2022 investigatory report commissioned by the Greens/EFA in[Read More…]
On December 1, in the on-going case relating to objections raised against the introduction of the first GM (genetically modified) food crop in the form of GM Mustard in India, the Supreme Court raised some important questions. As reported in The Times of India (December 2, 2022), “A bench of Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and BV Nagarathna told Attorney General R.Venkataramani,[Read More…]
India-China war of 1962 ended in late November 1962, 60 years ago, by an unilateral ceasefire declared by China despite having an upper hand in the battle field. China had made a peace offer, both before and after the war, but was not reciprocated. Zhou Enlai had announced: “ Beginning from 21 November 1962, the Chinese frontier guards will cease[Read More…]
India has great diversity. It is geo-climatically diverse, with the Himalayan and trans-Himalayan mountains, the Indo-Gangetic plains, deserts, the peninsular plateau with mountain ranges, and riverine and coastal plains. People who live in different geo-climatic regions have different ways of living. They speak, eat, dress differently, and have different customs and cultures, sometimes even among co-religionists. Even within these geo-climatic[Read More…]
A 10000 strong contingent of dalit agricultural workers under the leadership of the common front of rural and farm labour organizations or Sanjha Morcha Sangrur, thronged near the chief minsters residence in Sangrur-Patiala highway. As soon as the contingent of thousands of labourers under the leadership of the united front of rural and farm workers’ organisations, proceeded towards Kothi to[Read More…]
It was ‘Constitution Day’ once again on 26 November, as the nation remembered with profound gratitude the day in 1949, on which the Constituent Assembly ‘adopted, enacted and gave to ourselves’ a meaningful Constitution. The day was also a reminder that ‘Constitution Day’ for the citizens of India cannot be relegated to[Read More…]
On 28th November, In Babarpur the Anganwadi workers Union launched a qualitative campaign in exposing the nefarious agenda of the BJP and AAP. It gheraoed house of labour minister Gopal Rai in a most intensive manner. It also blocked exit from the BJP office for leaders-ministers to step out.Mini-rallies were staged calling for boycotting both the parties. The people of[Read More…]
On November 26, the world’s so called largest democracy celebrated its Constitution Day. Not only were special events held by the Indian government back home, several programs were organized in the Diaspora, including one in BC. The Day was initiated by the current right wing Hindu Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whom attacks on religious minorities, including Dalits and political[Read More…]
I beg to remain, SIR, Your most obedient servant, (Sd.) V.D. Savarkar, Convict no. 32778. An old saying: “When every record leaps to light, they shall ever be shamed.” In V.D. Savarkar’s case, every record disclosed exposes his deceit, venom and addiction to murder. Here is a list of the apologies and undertakings which Savarkar offered from 1911 to 1950,[Read More…]
The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) or the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) have long argued for ‘Hindu-Hindi-Hindustan’, which into recent years has translated into a crisper English expression: ‘One Nation-One Religion-One Language’. Given this backdrop, it is curious that the BJP government has organised the Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi, the Prime Minister’s constituency. Why did the BJP and RSS feel[Read More…]
Speaking on Constitution Day in Parliament in 2015, BJP representative Rajnath Singh again reiterated that the inclusion of the word secular in the Constitution is unnecessary and has been misused a lot. He further defined secularism and said that it does not mean secularism but sect neutrality. Even before this BJP and its allies have raised similar objections to this[Read More…]
The poor are often unfairly blamed for straining Mumbai’s infrastructure, making it dirty.In fact, it can be argued that It is the rich who are in good measure responsible for making it dirty, consuming most of the land, grabbing more and more of it from the poor, causing severe road congestion and air pollution with their cars. One has only[Read More…]
To Smt Alka Tiwari Secretary National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) Subject:- Great Nicobar Island- A “Mega Infrastructure Project cleared by Ministry of Environment without prior clearance by NCST Dear Smt Tiwari, I wish to submit the following concerns about this project to Hon’ble NCST for their consideration. The Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MEFCC) accorded statutory Environment[Read More…]
Responding to the the call of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), today (26 November, 2022), thousands of farmers, supported by workers, students, youth, women and ordinary people, staged mega foot-marches and rallies all over the country. Protest gatherings engulfed 25 state capitals, more than 300 district headquarters and numerous tehsil headquarters .History of a kind was made. The spirit of resistance[Read More…]
(The present article is published to mark the occasion of Constitution Day, November 26, 2022. It may be deemed as part-2 of an earlier article, published an year ago: A Peep into the past: On the occasion of 65th Anniversary of Ambedkar’s Nirvana – Remembering Ambedkar and Revisiting his Thoughts (06/12/2021) https://countercurrents.org/2021/12/a-peep-into-the-past-on-the-occasion-of-65th-anniversary-of-ambedkars-nirvana-remembering-ambedkar-and-revisiting-his-thoughts/ ) *** *** 26th November 2022 is being[Read More…]
Supreme Court has released six convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. This was bound to happen as earlier A.G. Perarivalan was released in the same case, setting a precedent. Even though four of them are Sri Lankans but a popular Tamil sentiment favoured the release of these convicts which is why Tamil political parties supported this and resolutions were[Read More…]
Violation of Model Code of Conduct by Shri Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister in Gujarat- Defer Gujarat Assembly elections in view of the far reaching ramifications of his statement To Shri Rajiv Kumar Chief Election Commissioner Shri A C Pandey Election Commissioner Shri A Goel Election Commissioner Dear S/Shri Rajiv Kumar/ Pandey and Goel, I have come[Read More…]
It is natural for all common people to wonder when the Prime Minister gets time to work because the Prime Minister has to sit in the office and dispose of the files, it takes time, but since last one year he has been busy with election campaigning. Voting has already been held in Himachal Pradesh, now voting will be held[Read More…]
Simply electoral destiny of key parties in fray is not at stake during Gujarat Assembly elections. What also bears political significance is “leadership” of these very parties. Heading the list is of course, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nearly the same importance is held for another key Gujarati leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Gujarat is[Read More…]
The case of brutal, horrific violence against Shraddha Walkar has shaken the whole nation. It is gruesome and utterly despicable crime. One recalls with similar horror the case of Nirbhaya (Jyoti Singh), the Tandoor case, and the recent one of Abhijit Patidar, who slit the throat of Shilpa in a Jabalpur resort and video graphed it. One also recalls with[Read More…]
The Zameen Prapt Sangharsh commitee launched a 10 day hunger strike dharna pressing for legitimate demands promised by the Aam Ami party at the DC office at Sangrur .Around 1500 dalit agricultural labourers converged at the venue. The ZPSC expressed determination in waging a persistent battle to achieve demands of allotment of 1/3rd Panchayat land, Implementation of law for[Read More…]
On 20th November on the first day of the MCD Elections in Pahadganj Delhi Aanganwadi workers Union organised a boycott campaign. They exposed the lies of the Aam Admi party, who betrayed all promises to the workers. Women raised slogans, raised the back flag, and recited songs. They reminded people of 884 workers terminated, for merely voicing heir just[Read More…]
The search for enemies of ‘Mother India’ has perhaps finally ended for RSS. It is the ‘ecosystem of Islamists, evangelists, cultural Marxists and global tech giants Google, Facebook and Twitter’ is being seen as India’s major challenge. A senior RSS functionary – who also coordinates work between RSS n BJP – shared his piece of mind about it at a[Read More…]
The performance of poll-bound Gujarat on many social indicators has worsened in the past 15 years compared to other States. While Gujarat is economically one of the most advanced States in India, it fares poorly on social indicators, even featuring at the bottom of the list on some of them. The State tops the list on manufacturing-related indicators. But this[Read More…]
Srinivasan Jain, the popular TV anchor with NDTV, has done a tremendous service to the Constitution of India and thereby, to the people of India! In a hard-hitting exposé on his weekly segment ‘Truth vs Hype’, released on 19 November, Jain talks about the so-called ‘Forced Conversions’ with incontrovertible facts and the falsehoods and myths that are built around the[Read More…]
3 massive dharnas of workers were organized at Jantar Mantar in the country’s capital, Delhi.yesterday.They represented massive polarisation against the anti-people policies of the Modi govt.and illustrate the wrath of the working class whose lives have been thrown in peril. Firstly, Asha workers converged from all over the country to stage a sit-in for their demands by Delhi Asha Kamgar[Read More…]
To Smt Nirmala Sitharaman Union Finance Minister Dear Smt Sitharaman, In your Budget Speech this year, you referred to the government’s decision on Productivity Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme as follows: “The Productivity Linked Incentive in 14 sectors for achieving the vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat has received excellent response, with potential to create 60 lakh new jobs, and an additional[Read More…]
In Manesar in Haryana.the Besonika Mazdoor Union held a Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat from 10 p.m to 3 p.m at the Gurgaon District Collectors office, protesting the anti-people policies of Modi govt.and pro-capitalist designs of the rulers Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan ) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan was present with other peasant organisation leaders. Workers organisations from Gurgaon and Uttarakhand also joined.[Read More…]
Ghastly narrative surrounds Shraddha Walker’s alleged murder by her live-in partner, Aftab Poonawalla. She was in an abusive relationship, as is claimed by her friends and corroborated by her conversations with those around her. I do not intend to rake up details of Shraddha’s death, as the least we can do is give her dignity in her death which she[Read More…]
(Everything in this article is just repetition. I have been saying all this since 1991-92. It is obvious that the Congress and the RSS/BJP do not like my ideas. But most socialists, advocates of social justice and communists also dislike my thoughts. I watch their measures and efforts to deal with the present crisis with interest. I respect them and[Read More…]
Indians Abroad for Pluralist India (IAPI) has welcomed the ongoing march started by the opposition Congress party in India. Bharat Jodo Yatra, aimed at uniting the country that is going through difficult times under a right wing Hindu nationalist BJP government, is gaining traction. The cofounder of IAPI, formed in response to growing attacks on religious minorities and political dissidents[Read More…]
Bharat Jodo Yatra undertaken by Rahul Gandhi is receiving a popular response and large numbers are seen joining it including eminent citizens. Currently it has passed through the states of Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and currently in Maharashtra. The yatra has been interpreted in different ways – as that of protecting the idea of India, building the personal[Read More…]
On 17th November in Sidkul in Haridwar of Uttarakhand , Raja Biscuit company workers converged at a park to organise a public meeting protesting the halting of production. The workers discussed the topic of the management disabling the machines of the factory. In past months the plight of the Biscuit company workers has been reduced to turmoil. In India it[Read More…]
Despite India’s economic development in all sectors, growing poverty is a major problem with one-third of India’s population living below the poverty line. Poverty’s low standard of living, low income and lack of employment leave poor families with no choice but to employ their children instead of teaching them. Children are not only the present but also the future of[Read More…]
by Lalita Ramdas (with Ramu Ramdas) By now many of you have seen countless images and video footage of the Yatra, of the growing crowds . And the figure of Rahul Gandhi – ruffled hair and increasingly unkempt and greying beard – walking, talking, laughing, dancing, hugging – seemingly tireless. So is this a carefully constructed charade – purely[Read More…]
To Smt Nirmala Sitharaman Union Finance Minister Dear Smt Sitharaman, I refer to a news report (https://www.businessworld.in/article/Union-Min-Pradhan-Seeks-Probe-Into-Farmers-Insurance-Scheme-In-Odisha-/17-11-2022-454459/) that Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Education Minister has written to the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, apparently on the basis of his own sordid experience in Odisha, to “launch an investigation into the ‘scam’ committed during the implementation of the Pradhan[Read More…]
To Shri A L Meena Union Coal Secretary Shri A K Jha Union Secretary for Tribal affairs Dear S/Shri Meena and Jha, I understand that the Ministry of Coal has allotted Gondalpura coal block in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand in favour of the Adani Group and the local communities who would be displaced, including adivasis, are protesting against it (https://thewire.in/rights/gondalpura-coal-mining-adani-group-protests).[Read More…]
The PUCL is concerned that the decision of the Supreme Court in `Janhit Abhiyan v Union of India’ upholding the constitutionality of reservations for `Economically Weaker Sections’ (EWS) does grave injustice to the vision of the Constitution makers who incorporated Art. 14, 15, 16 and 17 in the Constitution as a legal protection to counter historically entrenched and institutionalised[Read More…]
On 17 November, 1913 the colonial British regime mobilized cannons and machine guns to fire on Bhil tribal freedom fighters gathered at the hill of Mangarh, located in present day Banswara district of South Rajasthan. Over 1500 of those gathered died. The legendary leader of the tribal community, Govind Guru ( or Govindgiri) was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.[Read More…]
Elections to Himachal Pradesh Assembly may be viewed as a symbolic example of what Indian political system and its socio-democratic fibre seem to be heading for. Given the importance accorded by certain leading politicians to try propagate use of religious cards at various levels in several parts of country, one is tempted to deliberate on their relevance in Himachal Pradesh.[Read More…]
Knowing that no right minded Indian thinks the rate of inflation, the price of potatoes, cooking oil, petrol, diesel, rice, flour, eggs, indeed, any commodity you can name, the indices of joblessness, the monopolization of national wealth, the degradation of Institutions, the collapse of parliament, the weakening of democracy, the preponderance of hate crimes and vendetta vigilantism, the studied relegation[Read More…]
The Zameen Prapt Sangharsh Commitee on November 15th staged a spirited day long dharna outside the district collectors office in Patiala, of around 600 persons from around 24 villages.Zonal leader Gurvinder Singh Bauda and Dharmveer Harigadh.With intensity at a highest pitch the dalit agricultural labourers it blocked the gates of the DC office. The ZPSC pledged to fight to the[Read More…]
Way back in 1922 , the Bengali author of comic literature Sukumar Ray (father of the famous film maker Satyajit Ray), composed a poem entitled Act 21, lampooning the system of justice in India under British colonial rule. He of course had to invent another country to disguise the object of his satirical barb – by describing it as the [Read More…]
During the last two decades the experiences of over 7 million cotton growing farmers in India, the world’s highest producer of cotton, has changed drastically as a diversity of cotton varieties have been replaced to the extent of perhaps over 90 per cent by genetically engineered Bt cotton varieties like Bollgard I and Bollgard II. This change was widely promoted[Read More…]
Iawahar Lal Nehru’s life and world always fascinated me. He speaks like a ‘teacher’ and one would be glued to him when we watch old videos of his press conferences or speeches. Yesterday BBC reposted Nehru’s first TV appearance recorded in June 1953 with leading editors in London when he had gone to participate in the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.[Read More…]
The discussion on football in India was so evasive about real issues at the Tata literature festival last Sunday in the context of the world cup football beginning this Sunday in Qatar. The whole focus was on commercialisation of the game, not democratisation, it was all about how to exploit the game for money and profits. There is a great[Read More…]
Thousands of workers from every corner of the country swarmed to raise their voices in unison at the Ramlila Grounds in New Delhi, as part of Mazdoor Aakrosh Rally organized by Mazdoor Adhikar Sangharsh Abhiyan (MASA). We must salute the workers and organisations for braving all odds to do just what the doctor ordered, with the state of the economy[Read More…]
The humongous success of Bharat Jodo Yatra has brought forth many a dormant issues of Indian society and politics to the fore. While its title does hint to combat social divisions created along religious lines during last three decades, core issues of Indian society have come to fore. The problems of farmers, youth, rising prices, the worsening plight of Adivasis,[Read More…]
A day after the country became independent and Nehru was sworn-in as its first Prime Minister, he conveyed to the nation his undivided resolve in fighting communalism and separatism, with a reminder that “those who create mischief or trouble are our enemies, and they shall be dealt with severely”. The assassination of the Father of the Nation by Hindu fundamentalists[Read More…]
22,000 Anganwadi workers pledge to boycott AAP and BJP in Delhi civic polls and set to ban entry of ‘AAP’ and ‘BJP’ candidates in their neighbourhoods | The Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union (DSAWHU) held a press conference at Press Club of India, Delhi on November 11th. Fluttering its banner for upcoming MCD polls, the DSAWHU announced[Read More…]
Some recent political developments in India remind me of a legend associated with the founder of Sikhism. Guru Nanak, whose birth anniversary was celebrated on November 8, is credited for traveling widely, reforming the misguided and encouraging them to follow the path of truth and justice. One of those who came under his influence was Sajjan, the thug, who ran[Read More…]
In 2019, Prime Minister Modi envisioned “to make India a USD 5-trillion economy and global powerhouse by 2024-25” (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/each-state-must-define-a-target-to-make-india-5-trillion-economy-pm-modi/articleshow/92288178.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst). More recently, he said. “BJP’s double-engine governments see India’s need for speed as ‘ambition’ and ‘scale’ as its ‘strength’, unlike their predecessors who treated the first as a ‘luxury”‘and the other as ‘risk’”,(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/95460746.cms#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16682908062088&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst) A USD 5-trillion sized economy by 2024-25 i.e.[Read More…]
The amended IT Rules, 2021 were notified in end-October this year by MeitY, the electronics and IT ministry of the Indian government. They were withdrawn in June this year after pushback during stakeholder consultations, but even its amended version has not made much of a difference to how it is received. The rules are a clear articulation of the desire[Read More…]
by Rajeev Yadav, Arundhati Dhuru and Sandeep Pandey Azamgarh is a lively district of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Because of the entrepreneurial nature of people here Azamgarh is described as Kerala of U.P. People from here not only go to different parts of the country but also to abroad. Descendent of an indentured labourer family from here who migrated to Trinidad[Read More…]
A well-attended and qualitative discussion on “The Threat to Democracy” was organized by Janhastakshep on the 8th of November, 2022 in the Conference Hall at the Press Club of India. The main speakers who addressed the discussion included Justice Anjana Prakash, retired judge of Patna High Court, senior journalist Saba Naqvi, Sh N D Pancholi of Delhi PUCL and noted[Read More…]
While not entirely unexpected, the SC verdict on reservation for economically weaker sections has caused dismay and disappointment among those already enjoying reservation.It is not envy of the newly reserved class which will not encroach on their turf,but fear that it might push many in their position farther back in the race for advancement. Ravish Kumar of NDTV has rightly[Read More…]
Supreme Court’s split verdict on EWS that upholds the 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act of January 2019 brought out by Modi government providing 10% economic reservation to the economically backward upper castes (Economically Weaker Sections-EWS) excluding the ‘backward classes’ among SC/ST/OBC is a violation of the very conceptualisation on caste-based reservation as conceived in the Constitution. Revealingly, while the Hindutva forces[Read More…]
This is a rejoinder to Dr Ram Puniyani’s article “Kashmir: Blatant Distortions of History, an obstacle to Peace” Please allow me to state right at the outset that I have the highest regard for Prof. Puniyani, not only as a scholar of history but as a person devoted to peace and amity. And deeply I share his abhorrence of the[Read More…]
On 8th November,22 ,a group of self-styled Hindu extremists attacked the on going in-house meet of the Rationalists at Lohia Academy in Bhubaneswar as well as in Berhampur town of Odisha with an alibi to protect the so-called tradition (religious). The attack is nefarious. This attack is not only in support of not-taking any food during the period of solar[Read More…]
The abrogation of Article 370 was done with the claims that this step will restore peace and give security for the hapless Kashmiri Pundit community. Three years down the line after the killings of over eight Kashmiri Pundits it is clear that the move was wrong to the core. Even earlier; while imposing demonetization on the nation, one of the[Read More…]
When Justice Ranjan Gogoi took over as Chief Justice of India (CJI), there was much expectation that he would reign in the systematic undermining of the Constitution of India and the rule of law by the BJP government. Particularly so because he was one of the 4 judges who called an unprecedented press meet against nefarious practices by the then[Read More…]
Shimla has been my second home after Delhi since 1991, the year I joined the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) as Fellow. During this long period of my association with Himachal Pradesh, I have been fortunate to have visited a larger number of cities, towns and a few villages of Himachal Pradesh. I got an opportunity to interact with[Read More…]
“They are claiming that our house is on Jindal’s land, but we have been living on this land for the past 20 years. This is our jal (water), jangal (forest) and zameen (land),” –Charana Samal, Dhinkia Villager Stop Unbridled Corporate loot and State Repression on People of Dhinkia ! Push Back Jindal Steel Works like POSCO! Resist Corporate-State nexus and[Read More…]
I attended an international conference on urban transport mobility in Kochi last week from November 4 to 6. After listening to ministers, bureaucrats and others at this conference as well as earlier meetings, one gets the clear impression that we are in for serious problems of road congestion and pollution. Things are going to become worse despite all tall talk[Read More…]
The Inquilabi Mazdoor Kendra and fraternal organisations conducted a series of programmes in different parts of Uttar Pradesh, commemorating the 105th anniversary of The Russian Revolution. In the qualitative sense most positive, in resurrecting the message of the Russian Revolution towards liberation of the toiling workers. Tribute to the painstaking mass work conducted by the Inquilabi Mazdoor Kendra in recent[Read More…]
As election day (November 12) approaches, people of Himachal Pradesh are more inclined to recall the more impressive achievements of the long era of Congress rule. In 2017-18 among Human Development indicators Himachal was at 7th place and in Gender Development indicators Himachal was at number 2 place ( compared to rank number 16 of neighboring state Haryana) among 36[Read More…]
Maybe, at this age nearing a century (86+), my days on this earth are soon coming to end. Some comments on the Indian Left should be made. I do not want to comment much on the main body of Sumanta’s article, except that for us poor and weak Third World peoples and states it is advantageous to live in a[Read More…]
The 3:2 majority judgement of the Supreme Court on 7 November 2022 giving the go-ahead for the 103rd Constitutional Amendment envisaging 10 per cent reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) within the General Category raises an array of questions: Is it in keeping with the notion of “JUSTICE, social, economic and political” as envisaged in the Constitution of India?[Read More…]
This morning was spoilt for me by my disgust at yet another shoddy attempt to besmirch Nehru’s reputation by somehow linking him to the disappearance of Netajee Subhash, great national leader and patriot of India.The disappearance is itself a conjecture till date as the remains in a Japanese temple(Yashukuni shrine) are yet to be conclusively proved as those of Netajee[Read More…]
On November 4th , a group of Anganwadi workers on Friday inaugurated a campaign to boycott the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Delhi civic body polls on the issue of the termination of more than 800 of their counterparts. A most significant step embarked by the working class to expose not only the[Read More…]
Shri Rajiv Kumar Chief Election Commissioner Shri A C Pandey Election Commissioner Dear S/Shri Rajiv Kumar and Pandey, I wonder whether the Election Commission of India (ECI) has come across two successive statutory notifications, one issued on 29-9-2022 (“State Bank of India (SBI), in the XXII Phase of sale, has been authorised to issue and encash Electoral Bonds through its[Read More…]
Since mid-October there has been widespread concern regarding hurried introduction of GM (genetically modified) food crops in India due to the approval of a GM/HT (herbicide tolerant) mustard crop by a regulating agency. Hence there was a feeling of great relief on November 3 when the Supreme Court of India asked the government to maintain the status quo and not[Read More…]
The Modi government announced to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of rabi crops including wheat by Rs 110, barley by Rs 100, gram by Rs 105. The recent announcement by the Modi government to increase the (MSP) of agricultural grains needs to be analysed in a larger context. The comparative study of increase in the MSP during the one[Read More…]
We are writing as diasporic Indian organizations and allies to express our solidarity with The Wire. We strongly condemn the witch hunt to which they are being subjected by the state. This is a grossly disproportionate and politically motivated response to the filing of cases of cheating, forgery, fraud, defamation, and criminal conspiracy against them by Amit Malviya, who heads[Read More…]
The coastal fishing community is on a struggle path against the disastrous International seaport which is being built at Vizhinjam by Adani ports. The port has resulted in coastal erosion leading to the disappearance of coasts and the destruction of houses in the fishing villages. The dredging in the port will result in the loss of local fishing habitats leading[Read More…]
The ban on the Sedition Act will remain in place for the time being. The Supreme Court has accepted the central government’s request to postpone the hearing in this case. The central government has said that it will do something about this issue in the winter session of Parliament. That means there may be some changes. In such a situation,[Read More…]
It is generally believed that the sanitary behaviour of Keralites when compared to other states in India is better. This may be partly true. The better sanitary behaviour is a naturally and culturally evolved artefact which has its foundation in the ecology of the region and especially the abundant availability of water. But this cultural artefact is being challenged and[Read More…]
To Shri Shaktikanta Das Governor RBI Dear Shri Das, As a statutory regulator for both banking and non-banking financial companies, the RBI is required to remain independent and maintain an arms length distance from their management. I have come across a disturbing news report recently (https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/rbi-encouraged-us-to-go-for-hdfc-hdfc-bank-merger-says-deepak-parekh-9452931.html) that the RBI had encouraged HDFC and HDFC Bank to go for a merger, in anticipation of[Read More…]
CEC’s reported statement that Morbi bridge collapse was a factor for delaying announcement of the dates of Gujarat elections To Smt Droupadi Murmu President of India Rashtrapati Bhawan Respected Rashtrapati Ji, I refer to a statement reported to have been made by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on November 3, 2022 that “Morbi bridge collapse, a factor in delay in[Read More…]
The country is lumbering towards an abyss,what with the reckless government caught in the toils of its own rash policies,and brazening it out with more and more incredible lies. Society still foundering in the terrible wilderness of divisive and hate-filled campaigns,and the opposition still unable to unite in their intoxication with imagined electoral triumphs. Not unexpectedly Rahul Gandhi’s bold initiative[Read More…]
Engulfing over 10 districts of Punjab, organisations related to CPI (ML) New Democracy, raised protest rallies commemorating 38th anniversary of massacre of the Sikh Community in aftermath of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s killing yesterday from 4.30-5.30. Spirit of resistance reached it’s crescendo like a spark igniting, resurrecting memories of the 1984 blood path whose very path the RSS is trodding[Read More…]
To Shri Bhupender Yadav Union Labour Minister Dear Shri Yadav, Following several news reports on the problems faced by Indian migrant workers in Qatar, I addressed the External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar on 29-3-2021 for taking up the matter with the concerned authorities in Qatar. A copy of my letter is available in your Ministry. I extract below a relevant portion of[Read More…]
Some recent statements that have appeared in media indicate that there is a lot of pressure for very hurried introduction of genetically modified mustard crop after its approval by a regulating agency GEAC. Even the fact that on such an important matter the final government decision should be awaited has not been considered by GM lobbyists and pressure groups. In[Read More…]