CRORES of working people hit the streets in the historic strike on July 9. Originally scheduled earlier, the strike had to be postponed by nearly a month and a half following the dastardly attack on innocent civilian tourists in Pahalgam. Yet, the spirit of resistance against the anti-worker policies forced upon the people remained undeterred.
EVERY Indian has the freedom to live according to their religious beliefs. This is the foundation of the value of secularism enshrined in our Constitution. Simultaneously, it also means that religion should not interfere in governance. Yet, those who have taken the solemn oath of upholding the Constitution, are violating both of these principles. They are slowly and gradually implementing a project to transform India into a Hindu...
THE infamy that the Modi government’s foreign policy has earned in the recent period, is something that cannot be understated. On June 13, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution moved by Spain calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution accused Israel of using “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare”. Of the 193 member states, 149 voted for the resolution, 12 opposed while 19 abstained. India did not vote for the...
AFTER much delay and uncertainty, the Registrar General of India has finally issued a notification to conduct the national population census in 2027. A major shift in this upcoming census is the decision to include caste enumeration – something long resisted by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). While BJP spokespersons now claim the move as a step towards social...
IMMEDIATELY after the war when capitalism had faced a serious existential crisis, it had adopted a dual strategy to cope with it. First, it whipped up the “red scare” which was absolutely without any justification, in order to terrorise the domestic working class into acquiescing with the system. Second it was forced to make adjustments in its modus operandi, of which four in particular deserve attention, namely, formal political...
THE cabinet has approved the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme with an outlay of Rs 99,446 crore, claiming to incentivise the creation of more than 3.5 crore jobs over a period of two years. Out of these, 1.92 crore beneficiaries will be first timers, entering the workforce. The benefits of the Scheme would be applicable to jobs created between August 1, 2025, and July 31, 2027.
THE recent controversy over the display of a Bharat Mata portrait at Kerala’s Raj Bhavan during official programmes has reignited the debate on secular values and the ever increasing attempts by the RSS-BJP combine to assert their communal agenda even in constitutional spaces. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala and its ministers have taken a principled stand, defending the secular and...
IN a meeting with US President Donald Trump on July 7, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that “the US and Israel are working with other countries who would give Palestinians a better future”. He added, “We are working very closely with the United States to identify countries that are ready to realise what they’ve always said – that they want to offer the Palestinians a better future. I believe we are getting close to securing the involvement of several such...
THE controversy surrounding the installation of Dr B R Ambedkar’s statue at the Gwalior Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court is not merely about a statue. At its core, it reflects the BJP-RSS combine’s deep-seated discomfort with constitutional values and their hostility towards Ambedkar’s legacy. Behind this controversy lies a targeted attack on former Chief...
ON June 30, 2025, the Anti-Public Security Bill Struggle Committee held a massive protest dharna at Azad Maidan, Mumbai, attended by thousands of people hailing from various districts of Maharashtra. They were demanding the immediate repeal of the BJP-led state government's draconian Special Public Security Bill. This mass action was deliberately held on the first day of the state assembly session, which is expected to discuss the Bill.
