काउंटरव्यू

By Harsh Thakor*  Jeff Thomson is arguably the fastest and most lethal fast bowler ever. Hard to visualise any paceman intimidating, tormenting or crippling opponents at such a scale or as electrifying or explosive. .No paceman set out more on a mission to inflict pain or hurt an opponent. Thomson was the ultimate freak, of the cricketing fraternity.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Sharing here this conversation of mine with Thiru S V Rajadurai, a noted Tamil scholar on Periyar, Dravidian movement and Tamil identity question. Mr Rajadurai has been actively involved in the human rights and left movement in Tamil Nadu. 

By Harsh Thakor*  On the Sunday, January 14, the traditional “the three Ls” demonstration was held, commemorating Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg and Lenin in the city of Berlin. Among many groups, the Red League and Partizan participated in the march with slogans upholding   the heroic Palestinian National Resistance (slogans prohibited in Germany for “anti-Semitism”) and red flags. Also slogans for the International Communist League could be heard. The two founders of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) were assassinated by right-wing paramilitaries (on the orders of a social democratic government) on January 15, 1919. For over a century, demonstrators have commemorated their memory every second Sunday in January, marching to the Socialist Cemetery and planting huge piles of red carnations on the graves. The police brutally assaulted the protesters and detained the speaker of the Palestinian Bloc, which caused a 45-minute tussle where the revolutionaries retaliated the fascist aggre

By Prem Singh  The narrative of Republic Day and Sovereignty, which started changing with the implementation of New Economic Policies in 1991 and the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, has reached its destination on the 75th Republic Day. The corporate-communal nexus defines the Indian republic and sovereignty today. This paradigm shift is being praised all around. Following comment was written on the occasion of 68th Republic Day – 26 January 2017. The same is again released to the youth of the country for their serious consideration. ---

Washington DC-based Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) statement condemning state complicity in extremist violence across India following Ram Mandir Consecration: --- The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) today strongly condemned Hindu extremist violence against Muslims and Christians in the wake of Ram Temple ceremonies this Monday. Following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consecration of the controversial Ram Temple — itself built on the ruins of the mob-destroyed Babri Mosque — extremist groups have weaponized ensuing celebrations, convening massive processions to attack Muslims and destroy Muslim-owned businesses, homes, and mosques.

By Bharat Dogra*  Several leading Middle-East analysts have been warning about the possibilities of the Gaza war escalating and also an even wider regional conflict emerging. The killing of a Hamas commander in Beirut and an Iranian military leader in Syria (allegedly by Israel), attacks in the Red Sea on merchant ships by the Houthis and the US-led response, the growing tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border and the exchange of rockets between the Hezbollah and the Israeli forces, the attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria and the US response to this, the US bringing two aircraft carriers and their striking units within the regional waters -- all these have been seen by some as signs which indicate the emergence of a wider crisis or even a wider war. However the risks of a wider conflict have increased much more with the powerful bomb blast in Iran, resulting in over 80 deaths, on January 3, on the sensitive occasion of the death anniversary of the Iran General Quassem Soleimani who as

By Harsh Thakor*  The anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist war has turned a spark into a prairie fire in the  Middle East, involving the guerrilla masses of Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and depending  on the intervention of the Iranian government, against Israel and Yankee imperialism, and its smaller partners, such as the United Kingdom.

A Centre for Advocacy and Research note:  --- Dr VK Paul, Member, Niti Aayog, has urged all key ministries to work with the Health Ministry to eliminate filariasis as a public health problem through mass drug administration from 10th February, 2024. Lymphatic Filariasis (Hathipaon) is a priority disease for the Government of India and is targeted for elimination by 2027. The country adopted the enhanced elimination strategy under which the Mass Drug Administration (MDA) is planned in a Mission Mode on 10th February and 10th August, 2024, together with National Deworming Day. The strategy demands synergy of efforts by all Ministries and Departments to culminate into a Jan Andolan for improved compliance in MDA. To sustain the momentum for intersectoral convergence, a virtual meeting under the Chairmanship of Dr VK Paul, Hon’ble Member, Niti Aayog, was held on 16 January, 2024, wherein senior officials of all leading Ministries – Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Women and Child

By Bharat Dogra  It is relatively easier to achieve wide agreement that those problems which threaten the basic life-nurturing conditions of earth—such as accumulation of weapons of mass destruction, climate change and other aspects of environmental crisis—constitute the most important issue before humanity. The more difficult part is to mobilize most people on this issue. 

By Harasankar Adhikari*  Is democracy meant for all the people, or are democratic rights confined to only the political rulers? A search for answer to this question suggests that democratic rights of the people are restricted to the right to vote, not beyond. So, in the political party-based Indian democracy, which is the world's largest democracy, the issue is: Where is people's independent and free thinking as well as their decision-making? The fact is, the political party leaders and their active followers and supporters have the extreme right to do whatever it is for their own benefit, because they are considered heavyweights in democracy. They are the lawmakers and policymakers. What laws they make are for the common masses, but the common masses are mostly kept outside the application of the laws. It is in this framework that one needs to examine corruption and its relationship with democracy. According to Santhanam Committee of the Government of India, 1962, "Corrup

By Harsh Thakor*  A century has passed, since his death, on January 21st, but Lenin or Vladmir Illyich Ulyanov still holds the mantle of the proletariat and the oppressed peoples of the world. Today, a century since the biological death of the legendary Bolshevik revolutionary, Lenin's legacy still shimmers like an inextinguishable lamp. 

Indian American Muslim Council statement says, the temple built on ruins of Babri masjid a symbol of injustice, a blot on India's judiciary *** Despite acknowledging the absence of evidence supporting the temple demolition and recognizing the destruction of the Masjid as a criminal act, the Supreme Court awarded the site to Hindus, prioritizing faith over the rule of law. The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), a staunch advocate for India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, in a statement on the upcoming consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, scheduled for January 22, said, this temple, built atop the ruins of the Babri Masjid, demolished by Hindu zealots, is not just a celebration but a glaring symbol of historical injustice. India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is orchestrating a grand spectacle, hosting over 6,000 guests. Simultaneously, Hindu far-right groups have planned car rallies, events, and parad

By NS Venkataraman*  Everything happens in my life without my consent.  I  was born without my consent though, perhaps, with the consent of my parents. I would pass away one day  against my consent.  The limbs  and other parts of my body grow without my consent and steadily decline over the years without my consent. All is happening,  with myself remaining simply as an observer. The  time that I spend in my life  seem  to be only a time passing exercise, in total ignorance of my origin and end. Even if I may not be very keen to know from where I came into the world,  certainly I am very keen to know as to where I would go after my passing away.  Perhaps, if I know the destination, there would  be greater clarity of thought   for me and there could be some sort of comfort at the time of leaving. . But, it is not to be. It is not only me but billions of people around the world during the last thousands of years would have experienced such thought process. Many of them would have  remaine

By Harsh Thakor*  An Austrian communist, Erika died in the high age of 96 on the 18th of December 2023, which was an irreparable loss to the revolutionary movement. She never blew her trumpet, but still she was unanimously hailed as a tireless fighter, as a comrade who relentlessly battled for the oppressed and exploited with a single minded devotion. She was ever determined that nothing must stay how it is, and that the order of the reaction is built on sand and the future belongs to the peoples and the working class. Until the very fag end she visited events and was part of demonstrations and supported communist, revolutionary and democratic forces in all aspects of their work. Erika did not only devote her organizational and material support solely for the revolutionary movement in Austria. She initiated unforgettable political, moral and ideological support, to movements worldwide. She loved to engage in long discussions with young revolutionary forces (not seldom long into the n

By Harasankar Adhikari   Left philosophy guides and directs their works against exploitation, aiming to protect the interests of exploited classes, and it believes that the class struggle is the only weapon to establish equity in a multilayered stratified society. Actually, it wrongly publicizes the process of establishing equity. We observe that it only tries to establish a class balance. The Left's every act, i.e., movement or agitation, is against capitalism or capitalists. But it has failed to achieve it because capitalists are the cause of progress and development in society and the nation. 

By Bharat Dogra  History is not created just by powerful persons, but in certain situations the actions or plans of some of them may acquire critical importance for some time. This appears to be very applicable in the case of the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu in recent times. Unfortunately his influence has been exerted in the wrong direction of aggravating problems rather than resolving them, which is in conformity with his generally aggressive tendencies. Looking ahead, it is even more disturbing that his personal interests, as well as actions and plans guided by these interests, may become a big hurdle in the already difficult path to peace.

By NS Venkataraman*  There appear to be an overwhelming consensus view in India that Modi should be elected as the Prime Minister of India for the third time during the forthcoming parliamentary election.

By Harsh Thakor*  The member of the National Direction of the National Front of Struggle – Countryside and City (FNL), Geraldo Pires de Oliveira, of 52 years old, was the victim of a shooting attack in the municipality of Pirapora, in Minas Gerais. The man was struck in the hand while riding a motorcycle and is hospitalized. Geraldinho., He was  a prominent leader of the struggle for land in the region and had previously suffered threats and kidnappings from goons and police.

By Bharat Dogra  An important role in the Israeli security system is assigned to Israeli women surveillance soldiers who are on duty at the long fence with Gaza. They are called tatzpitaniyot. They use security cameras and sensors to monitor the area on and around the fence carefully to look for any signs of unusual activity on 24X7 basis.

By Harsh Thakor*  It is a matter of great regret that Lawrence Rowe could never reach the stature or limelight of Carribean giants like Sobers, Lara or Viv Richards. Few ever possessed the gift of the gods as Rowe. or was more an embodiment of cricketing art. On January 8th, we celebrate his 75th birthday. It is my firm view that had Rowe completely tapped his potential he would have been an all-time great player.

By Bharat Dogra*  India has the largest number of people living in villages, and the percentage of rural population here is also one of the highest among the leading countries. According to conventional economic wisdom, this should change fast with economic development, but if one is thinking in terms of a ‘New Economics’ that is needed for resolving climate change and related environmental problems, then the situation of a larger number of people living in rural settlements may actually prove to be an asset if the right policies are adopted. Hence it may be useful to look very broadly at how India’s villages have been changing and what can be improved, despite the obvious problems in attempting such a broad analysis given the diversity of conditions that exist in various villages.

By Aruna Sinha, Annie Raja*   The National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) welcomes the landmark judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the ‘Bilkis Bano case’, striking down the remission granted by State of Gujarat to the 11 convicts charged with multiple gang rapes and murders’.  The remission was granted when India was celebrating seventy five years of its independence as ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” .

By Harasankar Adhikari  Since the time of left-wing rule, the West Bengal state government has been protesting against every policy and program of the central government of India because protesting political parties think that it might badly impact people’s support for this particular political party (which is in opposition to the political party ruling the central government), so it uses to publicize these policies and programs are anti-people, and these are for buttering strategies to the elites. Even left was a secret agreement with the then-Indian Congress-led government. Later, it has been open to all that it was an eye-wash and every act was targeted for the vote.

By Bharat Dogra*   After the October 7 attack on Israel there was a lot of interest of various media organizations in the various videos of military training by Hamas and related organizations, particularly those related to more recent times. Quite a few of these were in fact available on the internet and in social media as these were being rather freely shared. Hence various media organizations including reputed organizations could get a lot of these videos together to analyze these.

By Harsh Thakor*  Late professor George Thomson carved a permanent niche amongst the greatest Marxist thinkers of the last century. In 2023 we commemorated Thomson’s 120th birthday and 50 years since he compiled “Capitalism and After – Rise and Fall of Commodity Production.”. This year we celebrate 50 years since publishing of his “The Human Essence: The sources of science and art (1974).

By Wim De Ceukelaire*  On January 13, the residents of Taiwan, an island off the coast of China, will go to the polls to elect a new president and parliament. These elections attract more international attention than one might expect for a country with only 24 million inhabitants. The outcome will have consequences for the evolution of the conflict between the United States and China, and consequently, possibly for world peace.

By Meenakshi Joshi  A Citizens' Convention was organised in Ahmedabad at Lal Darwaja in protest of the relaxation in Liquor Prohibition policy. The Convention was the culmination of Protest Demonstrations in different parts of the state and statewide signature campaign in the memorandum addressed to he Chief Minister from 1 to 5 January.  Well known economist and retired principal of  H.K. Arts College Hemantkumar Shah, Saraben Baldiwala of Ahmedabad Womens' Action Group (AWAG), Nitaben Mahadev of Gujarat Lok Samiti, All India Mahila Samskritik Sanghatan (AIMSS) Gujarat convener Meenakshi Joshi, retired principal of M.B. Patel Rashtrabhasha Arts and Commerce College Dr Kanu Khadadiya,  and others participated.  A street play was presented by the students of Jamnadas Bhagwandas Girls' Hostel. A resolution was placed in the beginning of the convention which was unanimously accepted in the end.  As a follow up of this Convention, the Memorandum in which

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  I am sharing this conversation of mine with Mr Abbas Milhem, Executive Director, Palestine Farmers Union, Ramallah, West Bank, Palestine. I had been trying to speak with him for long but knew that the situation was difficult as well as extremely painful. He explains about the crisis and the conditions of the farmers there. 

By Harsh Thakor*  The state of Israel continues to embark on its genocidal policy against the Palestinian people, both in Gaza and in occupied West Bank. In the West Bank, 314 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, and more than 3,800 have been injured. At least 21,110 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, one third of them children, and there are 55,243 injured, 8,663 of them are children and there are more than 7,000 missing. In addition 80% of the population have been displaced from their homes, a total of 2.3 million inhabitants. Since October 7 the National Resistance Front of Palestine has fired around 12,000 rockets against Israel. The IDF also announced the withdrawal of the battalion that suffered a humiliating defeat on al-Shujaiya on 12th December, when it suffered nine casualties in an ambush. In recent days several actions have been undertaken that have killed  seven other Israeli soldiers, raising the figure of deaths to 167 acknowledged by the state

By NS Venkataraman*  It is said that human civilisation have been evolving over the last  thousands of years and the process is still continuing.  However, the question is whether the quality of evolution of human civilisation should be judged by   material and technological growth or betterment in value systems.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  After nearly two years of tracking various places in the Yamuna and other rivers, I am sharing here my documentary on Yamuna river and its journey. The video is edited by me though I am not a professional editor but we all have our issues and problems.

By Harsh Thakor*  On his 130th birthday on 26th December, the Western media worked overtime to tarnish the reputation of late Chairman Mao Tse Tung. At the same time, his unparalleled role in the history of China from 1949 to 1976 has also been tarnished by the capitalist restoration in China, which has left the communists without a base area for the World Proletarian Revolution. The “Xi Jinping thought” and Xi’s “socialism with Chinese characteristics” are trying to replace all that Mao stood for.

By Bharat Dogra*  With several significant elections (India, Russia, Ukraine, Mexico etc.) being topped toward the end of the year by the US Presidential election, 2024 will be a very important year for the world. The more significant issue is whether this year will be able to bring new hope to a world that has been through a highly disruptive pandemic and dangerous wars during the last four years, and on top of this has seen a worsening of the threat to the life-nurturing conditions of the planet which has become the single most important issue today.