South Asia Citizens Web

It is undisputed fact that Mr. Narendra Modi – the Bhartiya Janta Party’s prime ministerial candidate deliberately violated the Model Code of Conduct of Election Commission of India in Ahmedabad, Gujarat after casting his vote. His action wherein he addressed the people present there and to others across Gujarat and India on polling day via the press-media a people across by holding symbol of BJP “Lotus” in his hand, delivering an election speech, demonstrates the impunity with which he flouts rules and utter disregards for the constitutional values. The act was telecasted live through television channels, which is irreversible act affecting the free and fair election.

As one of the world‘s largest Communist parties, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] considered Deng Xiaoping‘s ̳socialist‘ engineering as an experiment to circumvent the purely ̳statist‘ model of socialism that was failing to manage peoples‘ aspirations. The CPI(M)`s experience of being in power in West Bengal from 1977 taught the party that merely offering the people an ―intermittent relief program‖ might not be enough to retain power. It therefore started its search for reforms based on generating new industries and employment through private capital around 1984-85. In the party‘s new discourse, the market would take charge of building super markets and socialist policies would look after the poor people. This new communication narrative was constituted by three elements - the state, the party and the market - instead of the old state-party model. This thesis is based on conversations in 2010 with leading party thinkers, work in party archives in 2009 and 2010, and ten years experience as a journalist working in West Bengal as well as other parts of India.

The left does not have a visible presence in contemporary Bangladeshi politics. Perhaps its complex and somewhat unraveled history limits the imagination of its possibilities. Or maybe it is held back by the reputation that it has earned over the years. At least in popular sentiment – dinner table and chayer-dokan conversations, popular social media outlets, and even in think-tank scholarship – Bangladeshis rarely envision the left as a viable political alternative. Thus, the very thought of building a left alternative in Bangladesh can be exhausting.

Aadni’s proposal for shipbreaking unit in Mundra disregards grave lessons from Alang’s environmental crisis

The time has come to unite the hundreds of struggles, campaigns, networks, movements and organizations that are combating the different ways transnational corporations are appropriating our destinies, natural heritage and rights in every corner of the planet.