Editorial

Long March: A Brilliant Victory

THE long march by kisans from Nashik to Mumbai has been a historic success.  The march by 25,000 kisans began in Nashik on March 6 and traversed nearly 200 kms before arriving at Mumbai on March 12.  The numbers kept swelling and by the time Mumbai gathering took place, there were 50,000 people in the march.The kisan march was unique in the way it was conducted with discipline, determination and a collective display of peasant power.

The Verdict in Tripura

THE Tripura assembly election has delivered an unexpected verdict. The BJP-IPFT alliance has won a two-third majority of the seats polling 50.5 per cent (BJP- 43 per cent and IPFT 7.5 per cent).The Left Front which had been in office for the past 25 years and had won five successive elections since 1993 got only 16 seats though it polled 45 per cent of the vote.How did such a dramatic change take place? The major political feature has been the shift in the alignments in the state.

Reverse the “No Talks” Stance

THE Modi government’s policy towards Pakistan has reached a dead end. Having called off the dialogue with Pakistan in August 2015, the government has steadfastly maintained that there can be no talks till terrorism stops. The surgical strikes across the Line of Control in September 2016 were touted to be India’s firm response to cross border terrorism.

Fraud and Crony Capitalism under the Modi regime

THE Punjab National Bank scam is the most brazen and shocking case of defrauding in the history of Indian banking. Nirav Modi, reputed to be the 85th richest Indian and his uncle, Mehul Choksi are reported to have embezzled Rs 11,400 crores through the repeated issue of fake letters of undertaking (LOUs) by colluding bank officials.That the fraud has been going on since 2011 and peaked in the year 2017 indicates the scale and ease with which such fraud was perpetrated.

Bhagwat’s Army

THE RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, has stated in a speech to RSS workers in Muzaffarpur that while the army takes six to seven months to train its soldiers, the RSS can get its cadres ready for battle in two to three days. This remark has drawn widespread condemnation with the main criticism being that the RSS chief had insulted the Indian army by claiming that the RSS can do a better job than the army in training soldiers.  While this criticism is valid, the intent of these remarks is much more serious.

Pakoda Jobs

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has, in an interview last week with a private television channel, claimed that someone who opens a pakoda shop in the street is to be considered as employed.  Further, his earning of Rs 200 per day is not reflected in any book of accounts. He said, “The truth is massive number of people are being employed”. So, now we have it from the prime minister himself that massive employment has been created by people selling goods on streets.

Threats to the Republican Constitution

AS the country celebrates the 68th anniversary of the Republic, it is necessary to recall that it was the Constitution which came into effect on January 26, 1950 that made India a Republic.  It is a sombre fact that this Constitution is presently facing the biggest threat ever in its history. India became a parliamentary democracy based on secularism because of the Constitution.

Netanyahu Not Welcome

THE prime minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting India from January 14. His official visit is not something which is to be welcomed. The coalition headed by Netanyahu is the most right-wing government that Israel has had. It consists of ultraright Jewish parties who openly advocate expulsion of the Palestinian people from the occupied territories and treating the Arabs within the borders of Israel as second-class citizens.The Netanyahu government has legalised the private lands expropriated from Palestinians.

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