Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• LETTER TO THE READERS – Mainstream, Sept 26, 2020

  25 September 2020

  The 2020 monsoon session of Parliament was short-lived; it functioned for just seven days and was adjourned sine die on September 23. The Modi Government gave a full display of its will to override the Opposition and steamroll legislation without scrutiny. Readers will recall that there was no ‘Question Hour’ in this session of Parliament. It is getting clearer with each passing day that the government wants no transparency. The manner in which the Multiple Farm Bills were passed (…)

• In memory of Mumbai’s Red Rose: Roza Deshpande’s death marks the end of an era of stalwarts who empowered the working class | Kumar Ketkar

  25 September 2020

  by Kumar Ketkar
  A full 91 years of political life.
  Her father, the celebrated and renowned communist leader, Comrade Shripad Amrit Dange was arrested in Mumbai by the British Raj in the famous Meerut Conspiracy Case. The year was 1929. Roza was just a few months old. The charge against Comrade Dange was that he and his revolutionary comrades had conspired to overthrow British rule by organising an armed uprising.
  Roza met him in jail, with her mother, Ushatai, also a militant fighter. (…)

• 

  AIKSCC Gives Call For All India Bandh & Resistance Protests By Farmers On 25th September | Press Release Sept 18, 2020

  25 September 2020

  All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC)
  Press Release
  18th September 2020
  Delhi, 17th September, 2020: Working Group of AIKSCC has decided to forcefully go ahead with its opposition to the three Agriculture Ordinances brought by the Central Government on June 5 and the new bills based on these under consideration of the Parliament.
  AIKSCC shall launch a massive resistance against these new Bills/Acts on September 25th with a call for an All India Bandh and (…)

• 

  Assault on Indian Parliament - bulldozing legislations violating procedures - Statement by Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) | Sept 21

  25 September 2020

  Date: September 21, 2020
  The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
  Condemn Assault on Indian Parliament
  Join Countrywide Protest Against Farm Bills on September 25
  The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the manner in which this BJP government is bulldozing legislations through the parliament violating all parliamentary procedures and denying MPs the right to discuss and seriously consider legislations that are being (…)

• Passage of Farm Bills in Rajya Sabha Without Following Procedure Violates Constitution, Rules and Culture of Legislative Scrutiny | S N Sahu

  25 September 2020, by S N Sahu

  On 20th September 2020 the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Shri Harivansh did not pay heed to the demand of opposition Members of the House for division and voting on Farm Bills- Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020- to determine if those Bills had majority support for its lawful passage in the House. Instead he declared that those Bills were passed (…)

• Are They Boon or Bane | Chittarvu Raghu

  25 September 2020

  by Chittarvu Raghu
  A central legislation ‘Essential Commodities Act, 1955’ was enacted with a main objective to prohibit hoarding and black marketing of essential commodities which may obstruct the supply and have an adverse effect on the normal life of the people. The other objective was to provide the essential commodities to its consumers at fair prices. The prices of essential commodities are dependent on various diversified uncontrolled factors viz. climatic conditions, region, (…)

• Steam Rolling Farm Bill, Labour Bill And Other Legislations - Denigration Of Parliament, The Office Of Presiding Officer And Federal Structure | Vijay Kumar

  25 September 2020

  by Vijay Kumar
  The unseemly haste through which the three Firm Bills and same numbers of labour bills were passed has fateful implications for parliamentary democracy and federalism. The rushing through of the three Farm Bills despite almost all the opposition parties, many of them are ruling in numerous States, pressed for in-depth discussion and three labor bills in absence of members belonging to opposition parties will go down as lowest point in Parliamentary democracy. The (…)

• Agri Market Reforms Bills may Dismantle APMC and MSP Regime | Sher Singh Sangwan

  25 September 2020

  by Dr Sher Singh Sangwan
  The three Agriculture marketing reform bills introduced in Parliament on 14 September 2020 are strongly protested inside and outside parliament. Despite that Lok Sabha has already passed these bills including the two controversial bills viz., the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) and Farmer (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services, on 18 September 2020. These two bills are apprehended against the (…)

• Exception becomes the norm as special laws are misused | Pankaj Butalia

  25 September 2020

  by Pankaj Butalia
  September 20, 2020
  Delhi Police’s framing and subsequent reframing of charges, using UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act), against the young women of Pinjra Tod a few months ago is an example of the gross misuse of special laws enacted by the state for circumstances which lie outside the purview of ordinary laws. By definition such laws are meant to be temporary and exceptions but end up being permanent and the norm.
  Over the years we have accumulated a plethora (…)

• Crucial Questions for COVID Vaccine | Bharat Dogra

  25 September 2020, by Bharat Dogra

  In recent weeks the COVID vaccine has become the most widely discussed medical issue at world level and this trend is likely to continue. We have daily updates on various vaccines being developed by various western multinational companies, by Russia, China and other countries including India, and on the huge efforts being made by the USA to ensure extra quick development of millions of vaccines. We have reports on big manufacturers producing large number of vaccines even before approval has (…)