ENTRAPPING all intellectual discussion within a particular discourse is the commonest method that neo-liberalism uses for establishing its hegemony. There was for instance the debate recently on the question of the “autonomy” of the Reserve Bank, where one side wanted control over the RBI by the government and its coterie of “crony capitalists” while the other wanted an RBI catering to the whims and caprices of globalized finance. The question of popular or parliamentary control over the institution was simply never raised.
COMRADE Simon Britto, former SFI leader and a symbol of survival passed away on December 31. He breathed his last in a private hospital at Thrissur, due to a massive heart attack. He is survived by his wife Seena Bhasker and daughter Kayeenila.
THE Left-Democratic Manch (LDM), Assam-a common platform of 10 political parties comprising of the CPI (M), CPI, CPI (ML), AAP, SP, NCP, RCPI, Janata Dal(S), LDP and Asom Sangrami Mancha, staged a massive 'sit-in-demonstration' at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on December 28. Demanding immediate withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and upgradation of a flawless National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam with the inclusion of names of all the genuine Indian citizens in the final list, the demonstration was attended by several hundred protesters from Assam
ON new year’s day, January 1, Kerala witnessed a historic and unique event. Over 5.5 million (55 lakh) women came together to make a Vanitha Mathil (Women’s Wall) which covered 620 kilometers from the northern tip in Kasargode to the southern tip at Thiruvananthapuram.
IN a statement issued on December 23, prominent artists of Bengal film industry, noted that the way in which the organisers of the Ajmer Literature Festival in Rajasthan, buckling under the pressure of some militant ‘Hindutva’ groups, called off an event set to be addressed by veteran thespian Naseeruddin Shah, is a matter of great concern for all those who want to see our country strong and united rather than fragmented. The 68-year old actor was due to deliver the keynote address at the beginning of the festival on December 21.
AMONG the series of schemes launched (or repackaged) by the Modi led NDA government, one of the most toxic is the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Its purpose is to provide crop insurance to farmers, that is, if the crop fails due to some non-preventable reason like weather calamity etc, then the farmers will be compensated for this loss. The principle is sound – the government should take care of such losses which are very common in India since cultivation is largely dependent on monsoon rains.
CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statements on December 21.
An Unconstitutional Order
THE ministry of home affairs has issued an order authorising ten central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt “any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer”.
THE National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), in a statement issued on December 26, has strongly condemned the thrashing of a disabled youth by a BJP leader in Uttar Pradesh.
THE Left Democratic Front (LDF) has expanded further in Kerala as four more parties, the Indian National League, Kerala Congress (B), Democratic Kerala Congress and Loktantrik Janata Dal join it, said A Vijayaraghavan, the convener of the front.