SUCH is the pervasiveness of bourgeois ideology these days that even many who are wholly committed to the vision of socialism entertain ideas about it that are utterly erroneous. It would not be out of place therefore to go back to this basic question once again. The common perception of socialism is that it is a society characterized by the social ownership of the means of production, for which state ownership is taken as a proxy. But this, while a necessary condition, is not a sufficient condition.

ON July 6, Suryapur in Baruipur, on the southern fringes of Kolkata, erupted in protest — an upheaval whose tremors reverberated across West Bengal. The brutal gang rape and murder of a minor girl sparked widespread outrage. Exploiting the tragedy, the state’s new BJP government predictably sought to frame the issue through a communal lens.

WHENEVER in crisis, capital's oldest trick has been to manufacture a shock and let the working class absorb its impact. The fuel prices did what they always do whenever Washington decides to bomb someone – they went up. On February 28, 2026, the United States' unprovoked attack on Iran dragged the Gulf into a war where the rest of the world is having to pay the price.

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on July 20, 2026

ON July 16, the people of Chottakhola and its surrounding areas witnessed a unique spirit of resistance as hundreds marched carrying red flags. They also saw another authoritarian face of the BJP-led coalition government under Chief Minister Manik Saha. Local residents witnessed how the police, allegedly given a “free hand” by the chief minister, surrendered helplessly before ruling party miscreants and provided protection.