The SFI had an overwhelming majority in 13 out of 16 colleges, where the students union election were held on the basis of students organisations.
.JPG)
The SFI scored emphatic victories in St. Thomas College, Thrissur; Sree Kerala Varma College , Thrissur; I.E.S., Chittilappilly; Government College, Kuttanellur; Christ College, Irinjalakuda; S.N. College, Nattika; Sri Vyasa College, Wadakkanchery; Sreekrishna College, Guruvayur; Panampilly College, Chalakudy; and M.D. College, Pazhanji. KSU and ABVP could win only in one college each where they were having understanding among themselves.
SFI State committee has thanked and congratulated all students for once again selecting SFI as the numero uno of the campus and rejecting all fundamentalist forces.
The Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) have accused the three Ministers from Bellary, G. Janardhan Reddy, G. Karunakara Reddy and B. Sriramulu, of defaming Bellary and also the State and have sought their resignation. Addressing a joint press conference here on Thursday, U. Basavaraj and K. Nagabhushan Rao, secretaries of the district committees of CPI(M) and CPI respectively, alleged that though the three Ministers claimed that there was no illegal mining activities in the district, mineral wealth had been looted which only spoke of either their incapability to prevent the loot of mineral resources or their involvement in illegal mining activities.
They wanted the three Ministers to own responsibility and tender their resignation to their posts.
“The statement of Mr. Sriramulu that the Opposition parties were unnecessarily defaming Bellary, its people and culture, is wrong. The name of Bellary and also the State was getting defamed by these three Ministers insofar as illegal mining is concerned,” Mr. Basavaraj said.
Rally
He said that to protest against the “failure” of the Congress and the BJP in curbing illegal mining and also to create awareness among the public about the need to rise to the occasion in protecting natural mineral wealth, the Left parties have organised a rally in Bellary on August 3.
According to Mr. Basavaraj, large-scale illegal mining was the result of the failure of the Congress and the BJP leading to the growth of a “mafia” there.
Mr. Nagabhushan said that a procession would be taken out from Durgamma temple to Gandhi Bhavan by Left activists.
This will be followed by a public meeting.
Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M), and Narayan of the CPI are among senior leaders of the parties to take part in the rally.
In addition, Secretary of the State unit of CPI(M) V.J.K. Nair, Siddanagouda Patil, S. Prasanna Kumar, G.N. Nagaraj, and Ramakrishna, CPI and All India Kisan Sabha leader in Andhra Pradesh, would address the rally, he said.
The Left parties, during the rally, would urge both the Governments to initiate immediate action against all those involved in illegal mining and nationalise mining, ban exports of iron ore until a new mineral/mining policy was brought out and order a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into illegal mining activities, they said.
Courtesy : The Hindu
A photo exhibition, organized in connection with CPIM extended central committee meeting opposite the GVMC office, was formally inaugurated by CPI(M) State executive member Ch. Narasinga Rao on Wednesday.He said that flags would be hoisted at all municipal wards and mandals in the district, jeep jathas would be held in the district from August 1 to 5 and teams would undertake door-to-door campaign from August 6 to 9 to create awareness among the people on the lopsided policies of the UPA Government and the Congress Government in the State.
The parties that have come to power at the Centre and in the states mainly because of the votes of the poor have forgotten them and were favouring the land mafia, Communist Party of India (Marxist) central committee member P. Madhu alleged here on Tuesday. Flagging off a bicycle rally taken out from Kaleswara Rao market centre to publicise the party's national meeting to be held in the city from August 7, Mr. Madhu said that the Central and State governments had become mere puppets in the hands of the ‘mining mafia'. Several mining scams were brought to light recently and the important among them was the one in which son-in-law of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy allegedly occupied lakhs of acres of land for mining purpose.
As this was confirmed by none other than Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, “what stronger evidence is needed?” Mr. Madhu asked.
He alleged that the leaders in the State were too busy making money and had totally forgotten the needs of the people.
Hundreds of party activists and sympathisers participated in the rally that passed below One Town low bridge and reached Durgapuram, touching Police Control Room, Krishnalanka police station, Satyam hotel, Krishnalanka feeder road, Nallagate centre, Ranigarithota, Labbipet and Nimmathota centre.
Political solution
Mr. Madhu said all the problems the people were facing and an alternative political solution would be discussed at the party's national conference.
Over 400 delegates from all over the country will come to the city to attend the conference.
Senior leaders of the party and chief ministers of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura would attend a public meeting that would be held at Swaraj Maidan on August 10, he said.
Around 400 SFI activists are expected to attend the camp which will commence on July 31 and conclude on Aug 3.
Naveen Kumar said that CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury will deliver the inaugural address of the ‘Open Session’ of the camp at Dasara Exhibition Grounds at 12 noon on July 31. Before the Open Session, SFI activists will take out a procession near the Town Hall at 11 am.
Naveen Kumar said that the formal study camp which will commence on the morning of August 1 at Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry will be inaugurated by former SFI National Secretary, Nilotpal Basu, in the presence of former SFI President and Member of Parliament P.K. Biju. The open discussion on “State of the present education system” on the evening of Aug. 1 will be inaugurated by Mayor Sandesh Swamy. Thomas Joseph, Principal Secretary, Kerala’s Department of Higher Education, will deliver the keynote address, followed by a talk by Nilotpal Basu on “Emerging challenges before the students movement.” Kerala Finance Minister T.M Thomas Isaac will speak on “Reforms in Higher Education under the United Progressive Alliance II.”
Noted historian K.N. Panikkar will speak on “Capitalism, culture and media” in the morning session on Aug. 2 and in the evening session, Ritabrato Banerjee, SFI, All India Sectretary will speak on “SFI programme and organisation.”
Cultural programmes will be presented by the representatives of the four States along with a special programme by noted theatre activist H.Janardhan (Janni). The valedictory address will be delivered by T M Thomas Isaac, focussing on “The politics of globalization.” L. Jagannath, District Secretary, CPI (M), will be the chief guest and Shivadasan, National Secretary, SFI, will preside.
According to Naveen Kumar, theatre personality C. Basavalingaiah, journalist Rajashekara Koti, writer Prof. Shivaramu Kadanakuppe, former MLA Sriram Reddy, SFI State Secretary N. Anantha Nayak will be attending the study camp.
NELLORE: CPI (M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu on Saturday visited the camp at Gandhi statue in the city, where CPI (M) leaders are on an indefinite fast on various people's problems.Former Minister and TDP district president Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, CPI (M) State secretariat member Jakka Venkaiah, district leader T.P. Bhanu Raju and others also visited the camp.
Addressing the gathering later, Mr. Raghavulu blamed the ruling party representatives and the officials for not responding to the relay hunger strikes, which made the leaders to begin fast unto death.
Reacting to the comments allegedly made by local MLA Anam Vivekananda Reddy that the CPI (M) leaders were doing fasts by eating biryanis and dosas, the CPI (M) State secretary said criticising the huger strikes is nothing but insulting Mahatma Gandhi and Congress party.
“Instead of solving the problems amicably, Minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy and his brother and MLA Mr.Vivekananda Reddy are giving unnecessary statements,” he alleged and dared them to come for an open discussion on the irregularities in Indiramma Housing Scheme and on poor sanitation, unsafe drinking water, bad roads, street lights and removal of ration cards for genuine persons in the district.
Alleging that nearly Rs.1,300 crore was misused in Indiramma housing scheme in the State, Mr. Raghavulu demanded that the government put the details of the three phases of Indiramma Houses sanctioned, allotted, status of under construction houses, list of beneficiaries in each district, material distributed, loans disbursed and other details in the Internet.
(Courtesy : The Hindu)
A day after a group of villagers refused to join an anti-government rally and chased away Maoists, Maoists on Saturday killed a headmaster of a school in Jhagram for not allowing his students to take part in another rally in West Midnapore district.Comrade Rabindranath Mahto (45) was about to leave Indrabani Primary School at about 3 pm after the school hours when six Maoists came in three motorbikes and dragged him in front of the school building.
Maoists butchers then hacked him with an axe before shooting him from close range, killing him on the spot. Another teacher Shyamlal Mandi was also present there but he was spared. Maoists and People's Committee against Police Atrocities used to force men, women and students to take part in their rallies.
Maoists on Friday told Mahto to send the students to the rally, but he refused. Mahto, a former panchayat pradhan, was the Manikpara circle president of All Bengal Primary Teachers Association and a follower of CPIM
In a show of dissent, some villagers of Radhanagar, five km from Jhargram, refused to take part in a rally held by the Maoists on Friday.
Villagers in the adjacent area of Radhanagar earlier took out rallies to protest the high-handedness of the PCPA and had even drove the Committee members out of the village when they went to Radhanagar to organise them for an anti-joint forces programme, a phenomenon that has heartened the security forces on the dwindling support base of the Maoists in the Jungalmahal area of Bengal.
Maoists also shot dead another local CPM leader in the Balarampur area of the adjacent Purulia district on Friday.
CPIM has asked all peace loving people of the state of protest against the atrocities committed by Maoists with the backing of Mamtha Banarjee.
President Hugo Chavez and various other government leaders have justified the move as defending Venezuela’s “dignity” in the face of “constant aggressions and false accusations” by Colombia against Venezuela.
“This government of Mr [Alvaro] Uribe has spent eight years attacking and lying and creating ‘false positives’ against Venezuela in order to justify the unjustifiable,” Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said. Uribe will be replaced by President-elect Juan Manuel Santos on 7 August.
Yesterday afternoon the Venezuelan executive gave its ambassador in Colombia, Gustavo Marquez, and his staff 72 hours to return to Caracas.
Chavez also requested an extraordinary meeting of the political council of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in order to denounce the Colombian government’s “aggression”.
Maduro supported the call, saying a “South American response to the aggression” was necessary.
In response to Venezuela’s request, early this morning Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa who is also provisional president of UNASUR, announced he would call a meeting of the regional organisation in order to mediate the Venezuelan-Colombian conflict.
“The Venezuelan government is concentrating its efforts in the union of South America, in creating ...trade, social, economic and defence based unity of South America,” Vice president Elias Jaua said to the press this morning.
Jaua called on the Venezuelan people to “strengthen the union with the Colombian people in order to keep struggling for peace and unity of the continent.”
The freezing of relations wouldn’t affect food supply in Venezuela, said Jorge Perez, professor of political economy at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), He said that food to be imported for the state food markets of Mercal and Pdval is already being processed to come from other Latin American countries.
Perez explained that ever since the freezing of commercial relations between Venezuela and Colombia last year following Colombia’s agreement to install seven U.S bases in its territory, the government has been progressively substituting its imports from Colombian transnationals by signing agreements with countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and China, to import products like meat, milk, cheese, and rice.
Also, both Reuters and the Venezuelan government owned AVN, reported that the situation on the main Venezuela/Colombia border crossings was “normal”, with the crossings remaining open and vehicles and people passing through as usual.
Support for the Venezuelan government’s actions
YVKE Mundial and AVN report that some Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) workers protested this morning in Caracas in order to show their support for the decision of the government to break diplomatic relations with Colombia.
One of the protestors, Karina Soler, told press, “We’re not enemies of the Colombian people, but we declare ourselves fierce enemies of the narco-government of Uribe.”
Jaua said the governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) was organising a series of mobilisations along the border with Colombia for this weekend. On Saturday afternoon it is planning a mobilisation in Apure, towards the centre of the border, then in Tachira, where the main border crossing is, on Sunday, and on 31 July, heading towards the south, in Amazonas.
Also yesterday a coalition of U.S based human rights, social justice, civil society organisations and the TransAfrica Forum published two letters criticising the outgoing government of Colombia for “continuing a pattern of falsely accusing Venezuela of having links to the insurgent groups FARC and ELN”.
The letters were addressed to Jose Miguel Insulza, Secretary General of the OAS and the coalition said it will continue collecting signatures and will also submit the letter to UNASUR and to incoming president-elect Santos on the day of his inauguration, 7 August.
Various other Venezuelan public institutions and organisations have also expressed their support for the measures taking by the Venezuelan executive, including the heads of; the National Assembly, the Supreme Court, the National Bolivarian Armed Forces, the Attorney General, the National Electoral Council, the PSUV youth, the National Union of Workers (Unete), the Socialist Front of Petroleum Workers (FSTP), the Electoral Movement of the People (MEP), and the Unionists of Latin American and the Caribbean, who are currently in Venezuela for a continent wide union conference.
Marcela Maspero, national coordinator of Unete, said, “In the face of any attempt by Colombia or any other country, to obstruct the revolution [in Venezuela], the working class will come out bravely to defend the process and the country.”
Likewise, Victor Mendibil, from the Unionists of Latin America and the Caribbean and also the Workers Central of Argentina (CTA), said, “Once again the Colombian government is attacking the progressive government of Venezuela and accusing it internationally of having and protecting...Colombian guerrillas. That’s not possible, because the government here is a proper one that always acts according to the law.”
Further, according to Alfonso Velasquez of the Unified Central of Workers of Colombia (CUT), the Colombian government needs to leave the Venezuelan government alone and “dedicate” itself to providing security for Colombians. “Just last year, over 2,940 union and social leaders in Colombia were killed due to the inefficiency of the government in relation to security,” he said.
U.S support for Colombia
Meanwhile, El Universal reports that the U.S has announced that it would support the creation of an international mission to verify if the FARC do have camps in Venezuelan territory, something Colombia requested when it went to the OAS yesterday.
US State department spokesperson Phillip Crowley said he supported Colombia’s proposal and such a mission should visit and examine the supposed camps within a month.
"There should be an investigation. We think Venezuela has the responsibility to respond swiftly to the important information presented yesterday by Colombia,” he said.
OAS norms state that such a commission can only be formed with the permission of the country involved.
Maduro concluded that the only way diplomatic relations between Venezuela and Colombia could be restored was with “absolute respect and when they cease the political and media aggressions against [Venezuela].”
Venezuela had already suspended bilateral trade ties mid last year to protest the agreement between the U.S and Colombia to install seven U.S military bases in Colombian territory.
Then last week the outgoing Colombian government accused Venezuela of purposefully tolerating the presence of Colombian guerrilla “terrorists” in its territory. Venezuela’s initial response was that such accusations were part of a media “defamation” campaign
MANGALORE : The Federation of the Karnataka Autorickshaw Drivers Unions, affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), staged a demonstration here on Friday demanding an increase in the minimum fare in the wake of rising fuel prices.District president of the sangha Sunil Kumar Bajal said that over 10,000 autorickshaw drivers were being squeezed between the soaring prices of essential commodities and the hike in fuel prices. Over the years, the costs of spare parts, oil and repairs had risen substantially. The additional burden, without increasing the fares,makes it very difficult for autorickshaw drivers to support their families, Mr. Bajal said.
Criticism
Vasanth Achari, district general secretary of the CITU, criticised the Union Government for increasing fuel prices at a time when the people were already reeling under the rising prices of essential commodities.
Harish Gowda, an autorickshaw driver from Bantwal, said that the increases in fuel prices had hit them hard. The poor condition of roads had only added to their problems, he said.
(Courtesy : Hindu)
CPI(M) to hold rally in Bellary on August 3 against illegal mining
Speaking to presspersons here on Thursday, G.N. Nagaraj and S. Prasannakumar, members of the State Secretariat of the party, said that both governments had shirked their responsibility to curb illegal mining and protect non-renewable mineral resources.
It was an “unpardonable crime” for the State Government to be involved in the mining scam, while claiming to be “clean” and pointing fingers at others to cover up its lapses, they said.
Mr. Nagaraj said: “Despite having power in its command, it is ridiculous that the Yeddyurappa Government exhibited its helplessness by not taking stringent action to prevent illegal mining.”
Mr. Prasannakumar blamed the UPA Government for not initiating steps to curb illegal mining.
According to him, the ports were under the control of the Union Government. There were several Acts that could have been invoked to prevent the problem, he added.
They expressed concern over the law and order situation in Bellary district.
In the war of words between the ruling and the Opposition, the issue of protecting the non-renewable mineral wealth of the State was getting sidelined, they pointed out. In order to voice their protest in this regard, the CPI(M) had planned to organise a rally in Bellary on August 3, they said. State-level leaders of the party and some Polit Bureau members were expected to attend.
(Courtesy : The Hindu)
The party would appeal to the Governor not to give assent to the Bill, secretary of the Kodagu CPI (M) I.R. Durgaprasad said in a statement here on Thursday.
Farmers in the State disposed of aged and weak cattle, and, in turn, bought productive cattle for utility. More than 1.25 crore people belonging to the Dalit, minority and tribal communities consumed beef and more than 20 lakh people were involved in the meat trade, Dr. Durgaprasad said. The Bill would come as a blow to these communities. When the Bill becomes a Act it would have deleterious effects on the livelihood of these people and adversely impact the economy of the State, he said. In this kind of a situation, passing the Bill without debate was unfortunate, Dr. Durgaprasad noted.
State Executive Committee member of the CPI (M) S.Y. Gurushant too had condemned the passing of the Bill, Dr. Durgaprasad added.
Protests and demonstrations against the passage of the Bill were held throughout the State since July 12, but the Government chose to ignore them, he alleged.
All citizens should come together to prevent the Bill from becoming an Act, Dr. Durgaprasad said, adding that the CPI (M) would support all parties and progressive organisations to carry on a movement against it.
