2020

Table of Contents - Mainstream Lockdown Edition no7 | May 9, 2020
Letter to the Readers – May 9, 2020 – Lockdown Edition no7
We will never know how many people died of starvation, because no state government will admit to starvation deaths | P Chidambaram
Important Role of Public Sector in Vaccine Production in Developing Countries | Bharat Dogra
Karl Marx versus official Marxists | Sankar Ray
Remembering Marx under the condition of lockdown: Going beyond the “Corona” Paradigm | (…)

As one writes these lines, one is struck by the lead news report in all the major newspapers today:
"Sixteen jobless and weary migrant labourers who had dozed off on a railway track after walking nearly 36 kms from Maharashtra’s Jalna, where they used to work in a steel plant, were run over by a goods train at Satana village near Aurangabad on Friday morning (May 8, tragically cutting short what was to be a journey back to their native M.P.
"The deceased were in a group of (…)

by P Chidambaram
The war against COVID-19 and its social and economic consequences is being led by the Central and state governments and we the people are mere followers. But as followers, we can imagine many things.
First, imagine that the virus can be defeated without a vaccine. That will lead us to imagine that a lockdown is a cure and, until the cure is complete, a lockdown will stop the spread of the virus. The reality is that a lockdown is not a cure, nor does it stop the spread of (…)

Vaccines have been widely recognized as an important part of health programs of various countries. Now vaccine development and production has in fact become the most discussed aspect in the times of COVID-19 when there is a worldwide rush foe developing and then manufacturing vaccine for COVID 19. However in the prevailing situation of domination of international vaccine scene by networks of multinational companies, private billionaires with strong interests disguised as philanthropists and (…)

by Sankar Ray
Two years elapsed since the 200th birth centenary of Karl Heinrich Marx (5 May 2018) but the official Marxist parties (OM) of India – CPI(M), CPI and variants of CPI(ML)- quietly ignored the co-founder of Scientific Socialism (with Friedrich Engels). Their mouthpieces, mass fronts etc did not bring out any special number on Marx, leave alone organising academic seminar, symposium and conference.
In contrast, Patna-based Asian Development Research Institute deserves praise (…)

by Maya John
On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Karl Marx, the greatest intellectual of the millennium, it is best to steer clear of hero-worshipping. Instead, let us commemorate Marx’s ideas by re-enacting his way of knowing things. Much can be drawn from his writings wherein we can see Marx reinvigorating the revolutionary agenda at a time of deep despair and defeat. Reflecting and writing after the failed revolutions of 1848, Marx provided an introspective critique of unfolding (…)

This year, world celebrates 75th anniversary of the Second World War (WW II), which ended with victory over fascism, on 9 May 1945. The most destructive war in human history, it caused 5 crore deaths, two crores of them from Soviet Union alone. Soviet Red Army was in the forefront of the struggle and victory.
The greatest lesson it taught us was not to underestimate fascism. Humanity paid a heavy price for letting fascism and Nazism come to power. The western imperialist powers US, Britain (…)

Musings
May 6, 2020
Together with stating what ‘activities’ are to be allowed or disallowed in the red and orange and the hot spot zones of the country, its best if the establishment also puts forth what’s to be spoken out and what all is to be camouflaged or throttled! If a student or an activist or a scholar speaks out beyond the unwritten dictates or against the unwanted political ploys of the day, there’s that possibility of getting slapped with FIRs! Unfortunate and (…)

All India Trade Union Congress AITUC Bhawan: 35-36, DDU Marg, Rouse Avenue, New Delhi – 110002 E Mail: aituchq[at]gmail.com Tel: +91 1123217320
The following statement was issued to the press by Amarjeet Kaur – General Secretary AITUC today
08.05.2020
AITUC strongly condemns the move of some state governments to take away labour rights of workers. Demands black laws to be withdrawn
AITUC first of all pays homage to all the migrant workers who were crushed under (…)

In an interview in 2014, the eminent political philosopher of our time, Giorgio Agamben argued: “Public power is losing legitimacy. A mutual suspicion has developed between the authorities and the citizen”.
This is very much evident in contemporary India in the wake of coronavirus-induced national lockdown. Thousands of migrant workers thronged Anand Vihar bus terminus on the Delhi-U.P. border with their families, including children, at the end of March, 2020, in a desperate bid to return (…)