Vol. L No. 08 February 22, 2026

CPI(M) Urges Election Commission to Abandon SIR

On February 10, 2026, M A Baby, General Secretary of CPI(M), sent a petition to the Chief Election Commissioner regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls. The text of this petition is given below. Dear Sir, We are once again approaching you expressing our grave...
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When Hate Becomes Governance in Assam

AS Assam heads toward the 2026 Assembly elections, governance under the present regime appears to be increasingly defined not by policy or performance, but by the systematic cultivation of hate and communal division. What should have been a democratic contest over livelihoods, development and accountability is being reshaped into a campaign built on intimidation, polarisation and calculated spectacle. The conduct of the Assam Chief Minister has ceased to...

Can Europe Provide a “Third Way”?

WITH the Trump administration adopting brutally repressive measures not just against immigrants but even against US citizens, a tendency has emerged within American liberal circles to look towards Europe for providing a “third way”, a “model” different from both China and the US, the two major powers in contention in today’s world. American liberals of course were never enamoured with China; so their rejecting the Chinese “model” is not surprising....

Making Passenger Aircraft in India: Self-Reliance in Reverse Gear

MANUFACTURING in the aviation sector is going through quite a boom in India, in both military and civil aircraft. In military aircraft, there has of late been a pronounced emphasis on manufacturing indigenously designed and developed platforms. After decades of sharp preference for foreign equipment and doubts about domestic public sector manufacturers, the armed forces appear to have finally decided to...

India’s ‘America First’ Trade Deal

The India-US trade negotiations expressed in the joint statement have reached a framework of an interim agreement as an expression of commitment to broader India-US Bilateral Trade Agreements. The US President Trump seems to be committed to reducing trade deficits with countries like China, the EU, Vietnam, Japan, India and Canada pursuing his ‘America First’ policy.

Crackdown on Peaceful Gatherings in J&K

INDIA’s Constitution guarantees citizens the right to freedom of speech and expression and the right to assemble peacefully without arms under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b). These provisions embody the spirit of democracy by ensuring that people can express their views, raise concerns and come together on public issues in a lawful and peaceful manner.

Trade Deals and FTAs: Shameful Surrender to Imperialism

Prime Minister Narendra Modi surrendered to the diktats of US Imperialism and agreed to a humiliating lop-sided trade deal by seriously compromising India’s sovereignty. The “deal” announced unilaterally by Donald Trump over his social media platform, and welcomed by Narendra Modi on X, seems more like a promise extracted with a boot on the throat.

AIKS Calls for Protest Against Govt. Betrayal in US Deal

All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has issued the following declaration on the Modi government’s decision to allow import of cotton from the US: The declaration of the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal that, “India has the facility to purchase raw cotton from US, then its finished textile products exports will be accepted at zero percent reciprocal tariff”, and “when the India-US Free Trade interim agreement is...

Bangladesh Wins, Fundamentalism Loses

The long wait is over. After eighteen months of mass uprising, elections have finally been held in Bangladesh. The people have delivered a decisive verdict. By resisting fundamentalism, they have secured a victory of relief. The BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) alliance has won more than two-thirds of the seats. Out of the 300-member parliament, they secured 212 seats. BNP alone won 209, received 49.97 per cent of the total votes— its largest victory...

The Cuban Revolution Holds Out Against US Imperialism

In January 2026, US President Donald Trump declared Cuba to be an ‘unusual and extraordinary threat’ to US security – a designation that allows the United States government to use sweeping economic restrictions traditionally reserved for national security adversaries. The US blockade against Cuba began in the 1960s, right after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 but has tightened over the years. Without any mandate from the United...

The Week in Parliament

The Budget Session of Parliament started on January 28 with President Droupadi Murmu addressing a joint sitting. The session will have 30 sittings over 65 days, concluding on April 2. The Houses will adjourn on February 13 and reconvene on March 9 for Standing Committees to examine the demands for grants of various ministries and departments.

Polit Bureau Statements

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statements

 

Condemn BJP Government’s Disgraceful Position on Venezuela