For a More Equitable GST

THE introduction of VAT in the mid 1990s robbed the states of much of its taxation powers and curtailed their fiscal autonomy. With the constitutional amendment and introduction of the GST what had been prevailing de facto has now been de jure abolished. Now states no more have independent powers for indirect taxation, except on alcohol and petrol. They are forced to abide by the decisions of the GST Council where no decisions can be made without the concurrence of the central government, not even if all the states take a united position.

‘Addressing Peoples Aspirations & Grievances Rather than Blatant Use of force, is the only Remedy’

CPI(M) leader and MLA, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has written a letter to Mehbooba Mufti, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on October 10 regarding the tragic death of 12 year old Junaid, and regarding the indiscriminate use of force and random arrests of people under draconian laws like PSA. He said, with the tragic and shocking death of one more Juniad, all the Kashmiri parents have lost one more young son, who could have bloomed and proved an asset for the state.

Students Reject RSS-BJP’s Divisive Regime Based on Exclusion and Hate

ON January 17, 2016, the shocking news of the institutional murder of Rohith Vemula confirmed that Dronacharyas still exist in Indian education system and Eklavyas have to pay gurudakshina with their lives for the crime of being born in the lower caste.This incident posed a question to all of us: What is the meaning of the entire development and progress of Indian society if an individual is not even considered as a human being? We are not able to recognise a living being as equal creature of nature.

Reject Roopanwal Commission Report

THE central executive committee of the Students’ Federation of India in a statement issued on October 7, has said that the AK Roopanwal commission report is erroneous and vacuous.A one member judicial commission headed by former judge of Allahabad high court AK Roopanwal was formed to look into the circumstances, which led to the ‘institutional murder’ of Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad Central University.

Tamil Nadu Newsletter

Pinarayi Vijayan visits JayalalithaaTHE chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan and governor, P Sathasivam, visited Apollo Hospitals, Chennai on October10 where Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa is undergoing treatment.Vijayan visited the hospital and held discussions with hospital managing director Prathap Reddy.Pinarayi Vijayan said they had come to “convey the collective good wishes of the people of Kerala.” He was accompanied by CPI(M) Central Committee member T K Rangarajan, MP.Earlier, G Ramakrishnan, state secretary visited the hospital and enquired about the

Another Murderous Attack by the RSS in Kerala

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on October 10, 2016.THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the brutal murder of its Paduvilai local committee member, K Mohanan, by RSS hoodlums this morning. A group of heavily armed RSS goons entered the toddy shop where the 52 year old Mohanan was working and hacked him to death. There were around 30-40 sharp wounds inflicted on his body. This is the second murder of a CPI(M) worker in the Dharmadom constituency represented by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Colombia Peace Talks, Referendum and After

COLOMBIA and the world was stunned when the NO vote won the referendum on the peace agreements on October 2, 2016.

North Korea Nuclear Test: Getting Bigger and Bigger

IN the second week of September, North Korea carried out its fifth nuclear test. The last two tests have been in quick succession. The latest nuclear test, the most powerful so far, coincided with the country's 68th independence day celebrations. It was conducted in the underground testing facility of Punggye-ri in the northeast of the country. The magnitude of the blast has been estimated at between 10 and 20 kilotons, much higher than the test in 2013 which was estimated to be between 6-7 kilotons. Pyongyang has claimed that the latest test was that of a hydrogen bomb.

NHRC Report on Kairana Exodus False, Libellous

THE National Human Rights Commission’s report on the so-called exodus of families from Kairana town in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh because of increasing crime is libellous and false as it puts the blame on the Muzaffarnagar riots victims settled in the area without citing any credible and independent evidence.A group of riots victims living in Kairana, along with some organisations and individuals, have demanded that the NHRC withdraw this libellous and false “investigative” report, tender an apology to the victims of the 2013 communal violence and monitor their safety and security in

The Fake Nationalism of Make in India

FAKE nationalism of the Hindutva variety is not limited to only the national movement, where the RSS was conspicuous by its absence. It is also manifest in Modi's Make in India, which is an offer to global capital to exploit India's cheap labour, along with various tax breaks and subsidised land. This is in contrast to how self reliance and development was seen in the national movement. It saw developing knowledge as integral to the process of developing the country and its people.

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