Editorial

Whither NRC Process in Assam?

THE National Register of Citizens (NRC) process in Assam of enumerating citizens is to reach its completion with the publication of the final list on July 31, as ordered by the Supreme Court.  The way the process has been conducted has raised a host of apprehensions and shown up a great deal of flaws in the matter of including genuine Indian citizens in the Register. Last year, 40.7 lakh persons were excluded out of 3.29 crore applicants in the draft list of the NRC published on July 30, 2018.

Karnataka: BJP’s Subversion of Democracy

THE sordid happenings in Karnataka have reached a climax with the resignations of 14 MLAs belonging to the Congress and the JD(S) and two independents who were supporting the coalition. This development has come after a series of attempts by the BJP in the past one year to topple the Kumaraswamy government. The BJP was not reconciled to the fact that it could not run a government with majority support after the 2018 assembly elections, even though it had emerged as the single largest party.The BJP has brazenly gone about luring and bribing legislators belonging to the ruling coalition.

No Privatisation of Indian Railways

THE Modi government’s second coming is going to be marked by a stepped up privatisation drive. Already the Niti Aayog has announced that 46 public sector enterprises will be sold off or shut down as per a 100 day action plan. The centerpiece of this privatisation drive will be the Indian Railways.  According to the action plan proposed by the ministry of railways, private passenger trains will be operated within 100 days.

President’s Address: One Dimensional View

THE president’s address to the joint session of parliament, the first after the Lok Sabha election, was expected to spell out the vision and priorities of the second Modi government.  But President Ram Nath Kovind’s speech was sparse in detail and more went unsaid than said. It is clear from the speech that the ruling party sees the “New India” as radically different from the India before 2014.  The RSS notion of a Hindu nationalist Bharat underpins their vision of a ‘New India’. The president refers to the mantra of ‘sab ka saath sab ka vikas’ relating to the previous term of the

Warmongering on Iran

THE threats to Iran are being ramped up by the United States. Some sections of the Trump administration are beating the war drums and the threat of military hostilities against Iran is being ratcheted up.The attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on June 13 has become another pretext for targeting Iran. The Trump administration has been quick to hold Iran responsible for the attack.

Go to the people

A DISTURBING feature of the CPI(M)’s performance to the 17th Lok Sabha election is the continuing fall in the overall voting percentage of the Party. This is mainly due to the sharp drop in the vote share of the Party in West Bengal and Tripura and to a lesser extent in Kerala.We must take into account the fact that the loss of vote share in Tripura and West Bengal was also due to the violence and terror directed at the CPI(M) and its organisation and because of rigging and the prevention of its supporters from  voting in many places.

Modi Submits Meekly to US

ALL indications are that the second term of the Modi government will mark a further reinforcement of its role as a junior partner of the United States. This will, in turn, quicken the implementation of the neoliberal agenda and the consequent adverse impact on the lives of the people.In the period 2014-19, the Modi government took substantial steps to further interlink India strategically and militarily with the US. Agreements for logistic support and integration of military communication equipment were signed.

The Election Verdict

THE 17th Lok Sabha elections have resulted in the BJP and the NDA getting a decisive majority and the return of the Modi government to power.  The BJP has won an increased majority and the NDA has increased its overall tally.It seems that the BJP’s campaign projecting Modi as a strong leader and its communally tinged nationalism making use of the post-Pulwama situation and the Balakot strike  have succeeded in overcoming the real problems faced by the people under Modi rule – agrarian crisis, unemployment, deteriorating education and health facilities and continuous attacks on minorities, w

Modi’s Coalition Phobia

NOT a day passes in this election campaign without Narendra Modi attacking the mahagatbandhan or opposition alliance as a `mahamilavat’ (great adulteration) and depicting them as a bunch of power hungry opportunists. From the start of the campaign, a constant theme in Modi’s speeches has been how a mahamilavat government would jeopardise development; it will be a weak government which cannot ensure national security; and how the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh and other places is just an unprincipled and opportunist getting together to grab power for the pers

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