THE Left Front achieved a significant victory as it won Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad. Elections to the three-tier panchayat in Siliguri sub division in Darjeeling district were held on October 3. Elections in Siliguri were peaceful except for some sporadic incidents. People from the rural and semi-rural areas, and tea gardens have squarely defeated the TMC.Left Front has won six seats out of nine at the council level (as a separate hill council exists in Darjeeling hill areas, the rest of the district falls within Mahakuma Parishad).

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on October 2.

THE Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemns the brutal lathicharge on peaceful protesters in Kolkata on October 1. The Kolkata Left Front had organised a march to the Kolkata Police Headquarters at Lalbazar protesting against the deteriorating law and order in the city, police atrocities against Left Front workers and the hooliganism indulged in by the Trinamul Congress.

IN a first of its kind, more than hundred mass organisations in West Bengal have formed a common platform to fight on burning issues of the people. Trade Unions, peasant organisations, teachers’ organisations, student-youth-women organisations and representative organisations of all sections of people have joined in this platform, which has been named ‘Bengal Platform of Mass Organisations” (BPMO). This platform will organise a mass convention on September  28 to finalise the schedule of movements.

The following is the statement supporting AR Rahman, issued by SAHMAT on September 17.

WE welcome and whole-heartedly support the statement of musician AR Rahman where he speaks about his decision to compose music for the Iranian film ‘Muhammad: Messenger of God”’. He has thoughtfully struck the right note as he has answered questions raised (completely out of line) by the Raza Academy, about why he chose to compose songs for the film.

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on September 11, 2015.THE Polit Bureau denounces the growing instances of violation of the constitutional fundamental right of personal life, freedom and liberty of Indian citizens, by enforcing strictures on lifestyle and dietary habits of the people.This is an integral part of the RSS design to impose Hindutva values and create communal polarisation.The Maharashtra government has recently banned the consumption of bovine meat.