The last journey of Comrade M K Pandhe

Thousands of people from all walks of life paid their respects to Com. M. K. Pandhe, veteran Trade Union leader and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member who passed away on 20th August, 2011. The body of the departed leader was kept at the BTR Bhavan, the Central Office of CITU from 9 to 10 A.M on 21st August where the Trade Union leadership and hundreds of workers paid homage to their dear leader. By 10.30 A.M the body was brought to AKG Bhavan the headquarters of the CPI(M).

CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat led the Polit Bureau members in paying respects to Com. Pandhe. Com. Pramila Pandhe and family members paid their respects. Members of the Central Committee, Office Bearers of CITU, AIKS, AIAWU, AIDWA, DYFI, SFI, AILU, Jansanskrti and many other mass organizations as well as unions paid their respects amidst incessant slogan shouting by comrades. A.B.Bardhan, General Secretary, CPI, S.Sudhakar Reddy, Deputy General Secretary, CPI, Debabrata Biswas, General Secretary, All India Forward Bloc, Gurudas Dasgupta, General Secretary, AITUC and others paid respects. CPI(ML), INTUC, HMS, NTUI and representatives of banking, insurance, state government employees associations also paid their respects. The CMDs of many PSUs like BHEL, Coal India, Air India, Airport Authority of India joined their workers in paying their respects.
 

The last journey of the departed leader began at 2.00 and thousands marched in procession to the Lodi Road Electric Crematorium where Com.Pandhe was cremated amidst slogans “Red Salute to Com.Pandhe”.

Left - TDP to protest in Andhra for Lokpal Bill on August 23

The Telugu Desam Party and the Left Parties will stage protest demonstrations across the State on August 23 against the “undemocratic” attitude of the Central government in stifling the voices being raised in support of an effective Lokpal Bill.

The decision comes in line with the call given by the central leaderships of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI, Telugu Desam, Janata Dal (Secular), Biju Janata Dal, AIADMK and Rashtriya Lok Dal for a nationwide protest on August 23. 

Representatives of the TDP, CPI (M), CPI, All India Forward Block and Republican Party of India met here on Saturday to discuss about the course of action to be adopted in the light of the Centre's refusal to concede the demand for an effective Lokpal Bill. TDP leader Varla Ramaiah, CPI (M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu, party's State secretariat member Y.V. Rao, his CPI counterpart K. Ramakrishna and others attended the meeting. 

Speaking to reporters later, they demanded that the Centre incorporate stringent provisions in the proposed Lokpal Bill to make it more effective. They criticised the Centre for obstructing the protest by social activist Anna Hazare which amounted to denial of civil rights to stage peaceful protests. They asked that the Centre bring in electoral reforms to curtail use of money power and prevent entry of criminals into politics. In addition, steps should be initiated to bring back huge amounts parked in Swiss banks that could be used for public good.

Asked about the ongoing searches on YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy's assets, Mr. Raghavulu said the facts pertaining to the charges would come out after the Central Bureau of Investigation's probe was completed. 

(Source : The Hindu) 

SFI sweeps Himachal Pradesh Students union elections

SFI made a clean sweep at Himachal Pradesh University students central association (CSA) elections and has held onto its stronghold at the institution. SFI had won all four seats of SCA last year also and has been the dominant outfit on the campus for many years. In a clean sweep, the SFI has won 42 out of 44 seats of various department representatives and a majority of college elections in the capital town of Shimla and the major colleges of the BJP-dominated Kangra and Hamirpur districts.

At HPU Puneet Dhanta was declared winner as president by defeating Deepak Manta of ABVP by a margin of 536 votes. NSUI had put up Naveen Thakur as their candidate.

For vice president, Lokender Kumar of SFI was declared winner, defeating Kumari Shiva of ABVP by a margin of 673 votes. Hoshiar Singh (SFI) defeated Yadunandan of AVBP by 676 votes for the position of general secretary and Manju Thakur (SFI) piped Maheshwar Singh of ABVP by 585 votes. Panel of NSUI candidates Naveen Thakur, Sachin Verma, Ashwani, Anil Kumar ended third in the triangular contest. 

The SFI panel also made a clean sweep at the Government College Kotshera College, Sanjauli Government College of Excellence and Government college Theog. According to the results declared by colleges  the SFI improved its performance by sweeping all the four seats at the Sarkaghat college and wining the top two seats at the Jogindernagar college. In Ram Singh Pathania College, Dehri, the SFI won all the four seats. SFI  swept all the four seats in the MCM DAV College in Kangra. Abeshek Chandel was elected as president, Amit Manhas vice-president, Monika Dhadda general secretary and Abeshek Mehra joint secretary, respectively. Government College, Chowari - Dalhousie, the Students Federation of India (SFI) captured all the four seats: President Vikas Sharma , vice-president Neel Kumar , general secretary Suresh Kumar  and joint secretary Aarti Devi . In Government College, Dehri, all the four seats were won first time by the SFI. Kumar Anubhav, Ruchi Guleria, Hunny and Rohit Guleria, respectively, won the posts of president, vice-president, general secretary and joint secretary.