South Asia Citizens Web

In developments that are somewhat reflective of India’s North-East, where the country’s Marxist parties are registering a steadily waning influence, Sri Lanka’s traditional or ‘Old’ Left parties seem to be finding themselves redundant and not very much in the reckoning in contemporary local politics. So much so, they have to strain every nerve, apparently, to win slots to contest the forthcoming general election. Their current effort to find accommodation within the UPFA to run for election in some selected districts bears this out.

We the undersigned would like to express our deep concern at the ongoing conflict in the Jangalmahal area of West Bengal where forces of the CPI (Maoist) and the Indian government have been confronting each other for the past year.

Peace will not be achieved by pushing matters under the carpet, for this ideal the people will have to sustain a strong movement that will give the political authorities the courage to take the essential steps they are at the moment afraid of taking.

We, as teachers and academics from universities across India, read with outrage and dismay that Dr Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, reader and chairman of Modern Indian Languages at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) was suspended for having consensual sex with someone of the same sex within the privacy of his home.

Secular Perspective, Feb 16-28, 2010
The Government has got clearance from the Cabinet for introducing the Communal Violence Bill in the coming session of parliament. The Bill was drafted originally in 2005 after 2004 elections in view of the Gujarat carnage of 2002 under the BJP Government headed by Narendra Modi. It was because of Gujarat carnage that Muslims voted for the Congress massively as a result of which NDA was defeated.
The Congress party had promised in its manifesto that it (…)