Capitalism and Unfree Labour

WAGE labour is a distinctive feature of capitalism but not necessarily all wage labour can be considered as ‘free labour’, neither is it true that capitalism is inimical to unfree labour. Marx sarcastically mentioned that a worker is doubly free in the sense s/he is free to sell labour power as her/his own commodity and also free of all means of production by which s/he could have valorised her/his own labour.

Bagepalli: A Socio-Economic Profile

BAGEPALLI has the distinction of having elected a CPI(M) candidate as its MLA thrice (1983, 1994, and 2004) or giving a second place in all other elections since 1985. It therefore, has a special place in the Party's electoral campaigns in Karnataka. CPI(M)’s representatives have utilised their position in the past to obtain special grants and development projects.

Karnataka: A High Stakes Election

THE Karnataka assembly election has a special importance in the present conjuncture. For the BJP, in its quest for overall political dominance, retaining this southern state is vital for its ambition to spread its influence in other southern states.With the election campaign at its peak, by all accounts, the BJP is facing rough weather with widespread anti-incumbency and popular discontent over rampant corruption, price rise, unemployment and farmers’ distress.The BJP had formed the government in July 2019 after toppling the Congress-JD(S) coalition government by organising defections thro

Resisting Long Working Hours & Fighting Against Capitalism This May Day

“Capital is dead labour, that, vampire-like, only lives by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks. The time during which the labourer works, is the time during which the capitalist consumes the labour-power he has purchased of him”IN 2019, the National Statistical Office of the Government of India published a report titled "Time Use in India - 2019" which ran to 2140 pages.

Dropping Evolution from School, Now Killing Vigyan Prasar

IT was shocking and disturbing to learn from the press article titled “An Institution Dies” in The Statesman of April 24, 2023 that there is a proposal to close Vigyan Prasar, by August of this year. Vigyan Prasar (VP) was set up in 1989 with a mandate for science popularisation, communication and building scientific temper.

TN: Breaking Barriers: The Struggle against Untouchability in Temples

ON February 24, 2023, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court issued a controversial judgment, quashing the appointment of trained non-brahmin priests at the Arulmigu Subramanya Swamy Temple in Srirangam taluk, Trichy. The ruling, delivered by Justice GR Swaminathan, has sparked outrage and protests among people from all walks of life.CPI(M) has pointed out that in the present day, the role of the priest is not limited to brahmins alone. Anyone who has received the necessary training, knowledge, and government certification can serve as a priest, regardless of their caste.

Comrade Madan Ghosh

CPI (M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on April 21, 2023.THE Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses deep grief at the death of Madan Ghosh, former member of the Central Committee of the Party. He died this morning at his residence in Burdwan Town in West Bengal.

Comrade Mridul De

CPI (M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on April 25, 2023The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses profound grief at the death of a former member of its Central Committee, Mridul De. He died on April 24 after battling cancer for some time. He was 76 years old.Born in Chattagram in undivided Bengal, Mridul De actively participated in the student movement as a college student and joined the Party soon after. In the 1960s and early 1970s he fought bravely against police atrocities.

Threats to the Hegemony of the Dollar

JANET Yellen, the US treasury secretary, has finally acknowledged what has been obvious to most people for quite some time, namely that the imposition of sanctions against countries that the US is hostile to, runs the risk of jeopardising the hegemony of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. If the sanctions were imposed on just one or two countries, then matters would be different; but sanctions these days are used by the US to target dozens of countries, and, when this happens, those countries tend to get together to form alternative arrangements for bypassing such sanctions.

TN: Bill for ‘Flexible’ Working Hours: United Protest Prevents DMK’s Move

MAY 1, 1923 marked a historic moment in the Asian continent when Communist activist Singaravelar unfurled the red flag amidst cheers at Marina Beach in Madras. This event reiterated the demand of the Indian working class for an eight-hour working day. As this important anniversary approaches its centenary in a few days, it is unfortunate that the Tamil Nadu Assembly has moved a bill on April 21, amending the Factories Act of 1948.

Search form

Peoples Democracy newsletter