Mainstream Weekly

Dr Lohia's Life and Thought: Some Notes

Surendra Mohan — 2013-04-07T05:27:53Z

Dr Rammanohar Lohia's 103rd birth anniversary was marked on March 23 this year. Since his birthday coincided with the day of martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, he never wanted his followers to observe or celebrate his birthday. However, we remember him and offer tribute to the abiding memory of that stormy petrel of the Indian socialist movement on this occasion by reproducing the following article written by a distinguished socialist leader and ideologue who is no more with us. (…)

- 2013

Conscience of a Progressive Polity

Surendra Mohan — 2012-11-07T20:55:42Z

November 3 this year marks N.C.'s ninetyninth birth anniversary. He was born on November 3, 1913. On this occasion we are reproducing a few pieces written after his demise (on June 27, 1998) by some of those who knew him closely.
Nikhil Chakravartty launched the weekly Mainstream when the country did not have serious political journals apart from publications of political parties, like the AICC Economic Review, New Age, Janata and Mankind. When the weekly started, it was accompanied by the (…)

- 2012

PM's Integrity Under Attack

Surendra Mohan — 2010-12-12T01:27:23Z

The affidavit filed by Dr Manmohan Singh's office has sought to divert attention from him to the Union Law Minister, Veerappa Moily. It has said that the latter took eight months to move forward the files relating to the telecom scam. This was in reply to the Supreme Court's probe into the reasons for delay in taking appropriate action on the queries of Dr Subramanian Swamy. However, it comes out fully that the Prime Minister knew of the charges of corruption against the Telecom Minister, A. (…)

- 2010

Bol Kisana, Halla Bol

Surendra Mohan — 2010-09-08T08:48:23Z

On Thursday, August 20, the farmers of western Uttar Pradesh jammed New Delhi and held an impressive rally at Sansad Marg. They were agitating for the repeal of the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. The British imperialists, having claimed land and forests for the Raj under the Law of Eminent Domain, adopted this piece of legislation in order to acquire lands to be used for public good. Independent India did not remove this Act, the reason being economic development which the government wished (…)

- 2010

The International Puzzle

Surendra Mohan — 2010-08-22T16:41:25Z

The ten thousand pages of the records of the secret documents of the USA which have been published in the media the world over have exposed the brutality of the 46 nations' war upon a small, hapless country in their campaign named Security for Afghanistan. The large number of innocent lives lost owing to the attacks by the troops of the USA and Britain in ruthless bombings and the utter failure of these aggressors in breaking the Taliban's will to fight have been effectively brought out by (…)

- 2010

Burma: India's Betrayal of the Democratic Struggle

Surendra Mohan — 2010-08-09T09:04:35Z

The ethos of the Indian independence struggle was built around the concepts of human rights for all, freedom of all colonial peoples and secular plural democratic polity. This ethos guided India's foreign policy for several decades, and India stood firmly in support of anti-colonial movements, struggles against authoritarian regimes and establishment of human dignity. Her identification with the Palestinians' aspirations for liberation and self-rule in their land, anti-apartheid struggle in (…)

- 2010

The Beautiful Valley on the Boil

Surendra Mohan — 2010-07-25T21:41:00Z

Curfew continues in the cities of Srinagar, Baramullah, Sopore and Anantnag, in the Kashmir Valley and during the last ten days, there has been no improvement in the maintenance of law and order. On July 6, the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, visited Anantnag and admitted that three young boys had been shot dead by the security forces when they were chased by the CRPF to their homes. He promised an enquiry within 24 hours. During the month of June, several young persons were killed by the (…)

- 2010

The Substance and the Symbol

Surendra Mohan — 2010-07-22T14:08:37Z

If the most salient feature Indian politics were to be named, it would be its preference of the symbol over the substance. The decision to create a unified command in the Centre, increase in police force at the State levels and the creation of paratroops to fight against the Maoists begs the question as to what is the substantive cause of the rise of the Maoist threat. The frustrating of the people in the more devastated areas where mining operations have displaced the tribal people and the (…)

- 2010

Parliament and the People

Surendra Mohan — 2010-05-10T16:10:59Z

A cut motion was moved by the Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha on April 27 to ensure that the government is censured on the issue of raising the prices of petrol and diesel. Simultaneously, 13 Opposition parties called for a Bharat bandh to protest against price rise. These parties excluded the parties in the National Democratic Alliance. Earlier, on April 21, the NDA had organised a big public demonstration on the issue of rising prices. While the bandh had a partial success, the cut (…)

- 2010

A Learned History of the Socialist Movement

Surendra Mohan — 2010-05-01T18:27:00Z

REVIEW ARTICLE (1) Bharat mein Loktantrik Samajwadi Andolan—Bhag Ek: Congress Socialist Party (1934-47) by Girija Shankar; Vishwa Bharati Publications, 4378/4D Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi; 2004; pages 465+ix; Rs 750.
(2) Bharat mein Loktantrik Samajwadi Andolan—Bhag Do: Socialist Party (1947-52) by Girija Shankar; Vishwa Bharati Publications, 4378/4D Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi; 2009; pages 395+xv+45 photographs; Rs 950.
Some histories of various phases of the (…)

- 2010