IN the wake of major electoral reverses for the BJP in the recently held assembly elections to the five states, it has been widely recognized that the agrarian crisis and its most inhuman expression-the burgeoning farmers’ suicides have taken a heavy toll in the electoral battle field. However, commentators are loudly declaring nemesis for the ruling dispensation on another count. There is widespread belief that the tinder box of explosive unemployment will see Modi regime bite the dust; perhaps on a much bigger scale in the coming general elections.

KERALA'S renaissance movements in the past 100 years made big strides. These movements had helped women in the struggle to shake off patriarchy and advance towards gender equality. But unfortunately, following the recent Supreme Court verdict which allowed the entry of women of all ages to the Sabarimala temple, there had been attempts to belittle the achievements of the women in Kerala and to sideline them as second class citizens.

THIS year also, the Indian Science Congress held in Jalandhar, covered itself with shame; as it has been doing for the last few years. Venkataramanan Ramakrishnan, the Nobel Prize winning scientist, had called it a circus for discussing in Mumbai session of the science congress the irrational: ancient India had aircrafts, genetic engineering, etc. This tradition of celebrating mumbo jumbo as science from the Dinanath Batra School of Nonsense continues, with more and more outrageous claims being paraded each year in the science congress.

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has visited 92 countries since 2014. In sharp contrast, Manmohan Singh, his predecessor at the PMO    undertook only 93 foreign trips during his 10 years in office. The difference in number of diplomatic visits reflects the style and priorities of the two prime ministers. Manmohan Singh largely travelled to meet diplomatic commitments and obligations. Modi, the flamboyant of the two, has used the trips more for promoting his own brand than to achieve foreign policy goals.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on January 8, 2019

THE decision of the Union Cabinet to accord 10 percent reservation to the economically weaker sections among the general category is an electoral ploy. This decision comes a  day before the current session of Parliament is scheduled to end with an eye on the forthcoming general elections. It is also an admission of the abject failure of the Modi government to create employment in the past four and a half years.