Category: Latest posts

India is in the news today as much for its economic growth rate and increasingly aggressive economic investments within the country and world wide, as for its growing dominance in international fora. It is also in the news for its aggressive militarization.

While dealing with India’s militarization, it must be kept in mind that the US is the worlds most heavily armed power, on all counts, with its armies deployed all over the world. Not only is it the most heavily armed power in the conventional and nuclear sense, it spends 9-12 times as much on military expenditure each year (US $ 515 trillion) as compared with the next set of countries ( France, China, UK, Germany, Japan, Russia, Italy) and 16 times as much as India, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the second set of countries on the list, on military outlay.

Sir,
The statement of the CC of the CGPI dated January 10, 2010 entitled `Too long have we suffered this colonial style Republic! Working class must reconstitute the Indian Union! ' is an important contribution in the highest tradition of Marxism-Leninism.

Over 10,000 workers have been retrenched in the mines of Barbil-Joda-Gandamardan mining belt in Keonjhar district of Odisha. The sword of retrenchment hangs heavy over the heads of another 10,000 workers at this time.

Trade Unions have announced that they will organise mass protests on March 5, 2010 all over the country. Over 10 lakh workers are expected to participate in these protests.

Tens of thousands of people participated in demonstrations and other protest actions to commemorate the first anniversary of the Israeli invasion of Gaza in Egypt, Gaza, Israel itself and many cities around the world, between December 31, 2009 and January  9, 2010.

January 1, 2010 marked the anniversary of the Cuban Revolution that ended a fascist dictatorial rule. 51 years ago, on January 8, 1959, the Cuban people’s struggle for self-determination triumphed over the dictatorial regime of Batista; the Cuban people had asserted their right to determine their own destiny.

On January 9, 2010, coinciding with the state organised and much publicised Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, workers organisations organised a rally in front of parliament to highlight the complete lack of rights of Indian workers who go abroad for livelihood, as well as workers from other countries who come to India for their livelihood. The workers organisations also raised the issue of lack of rights of internal migrant workers.

The huge almond processing industry of Delhi witnessed a major strike of workers which began on December 15, 2009. Karawal Nagar, where the thousands of subcontract workers live and work, was witness to mass protests and rallies of workers, including women workers, braving the terror of the contractors as well as the terror of the police.