Left Politics

The controversy surrounding senior Kerala police officer M R Ajithkumar's 2023 meeting with two RSS leaders continues, as the CPI, a key constituent of Kerala's ruling CPI(M)-led LDF, expressed displeasure on Thursday over his continued tenure as ADGP of law and order. In an article in the party mouthpiece Janayugam, senior CPI leader K Prakash Babu said that whether the meeting was official or personal, it is the responsibility of the ADGP to clarify. At the very least, such matters should be formally communicated to the police chief or the home department, he added. The CPI leader further said that if the ADGP is unwilling to do so, he should be removed from his position. "An officer who does not understand the pro-people stance of a people's government will lead the government into a crisis. This is the situation the ADGP has created," Prakash Babu remarked in the article. He said that there is no doubt among national left-wing political parties that fascism in India manifests

Sitaram Yechury, veteran politician and General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), died on Thursday at the age of 72 after a prolonged illness. He was hospitalized at Aiims

The BSW, which wants to curb immigration and stop arming Ukraine, was founded only in January after splitting from the Left party

The Left Democratic Front government in Kerala will implement development projects worth Rs 13,013.40 crore in 100 days as part of its third anniversary, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced on Tuesday. The projects, which are part of the fourth edition of the 100-day programmes, are expected to be completed by October 22, he said. A total of 1,070 projects under 47 departments have been included in the latest 100-day initiative, Vijayan said in a statement. The fourth edition of the 100-day programme, which began after this government took power, will further boost various government activities that ensure the well-being of common people, social progress, and comprehensive and sustainable development, the Chief Minister said. The 100-day initiative has been designed to focus on areas that require special attention, in addition to implementing promises made in the election manifesto, he said. "The initiative aims to implement projects worth Rs 13,013.40 crore across 47 ...

Embroiled in a battle for survival, Left parties marginally improved their performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, leading in eight to 10 seats according to vote counting trends. The CPI (M), which had only three MPs in the 17th Lok Sabha, was leading in five parliamentary seats, trends of the Election Commission website around 12 noon showed. The party sprung a surprise in Rajasthan, with its candidate from Sikar, Amra Ram, leading by more than 55,814 votes over BJP's Sumedhanand Saraswati. In Tamil Nadu, where the CPI(M) fought on two seats, Madurai and Dindigul, the party was leading in both, while in Kerala's Alathur K Radhakrishnan of the CPI(M) was leading by more than 15,936 votes against Congress's Ramya Haridas. There was a close contest in Attingal in Kerala where the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) has pitted V Joy against Congress's Adoor Prakash. The CPI(M) candidate was leading by around 600 votes, the trends around 12 noon showed. In West Bengal's .

Accusing the Left of dividing anti-BJP votes in Thiruvananthapuram, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said the Left claims to be very concerned about opposition unity, but fails to address why it is devoting most of its energies in the constituency to undermining him instead of focusing on the "BJP's misrule". Tharoor, who is locked in a three-way contest with BJP leader and Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI's Pannyan Raveendran in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, said it is ironical that the Left seeks to divide the anti-BJP vote in the parliamentary seat, and preach alliance dharma in Wayanad, from where Rahul Gandhi is contesting. In an interview with PTI, the former Union minister said that putting up a candidate against him is something the Left has done every time, and he can't criticise them for that, since he took the seat from them in the first place in 2009. "But devoting their entire campaign to attacking me is a tactic which can only help the BJP. The Left claims

Amid state-wide programmes being organised by the LDF government in Kerala to mark its second anniversary, the Congress-led UDF on Saturday laid a massive siege to the Secretariat here, the administrative hub, against the alleged misrule and corruption of the Left dispensation. Hundreds of UDF workers including women from various districts arrived in the state capital and positioned themselves near the Secretariat complex, located in the heart of the city. Senior UDF leaders and MLAs led the siege and took part in the protest along with the ordinary party workers alleging that the CPI(M)-led government had no right to continue anymore. KPCC chief K Sudhakaran, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, UDF Convenor M M Hassan and IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty were among those who took part in the siege. The Left government had no right to celebrate the anniversary as it has only provided misery to the people of Kerala, they .

A day after being removed from the list of national parties by the Election Commission of India, state CPI secretary Kanam Rajendran on Tuesday said that it was "just a technical issue"

The Left Front on Wednesday night announced the names of candidates for 47 of the 60 Assembly seats in the upcoming election in Tripura, said Left Front convenor Narayan Kar at a press meet

Left parties in Telangana on Sunday felicitated Aleida Guevara, daughter of Cuban revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, who arrived here. Aleida along with her daughter Estefania Guevara were received at the airport by members of the Left parties. Aleida visited the office of Telangana state unit of the CPI where she was felicitated by the Communist leaders among others. At another event she was honoured by CPI(M) leaders. In the evening, Aleida addressed 'Cuba Solidarity Meeting' organised by the National Committee for Solidarity with Cuba, CPI and CPI(M). "The United States government created laws with an extra-continental character, with which it tries to prevent Cuba's trade with other people of the world. Despite this blockade, we continue to practice solidarity with all the people of the world," a release issued by the organisers, attributed to her as saying. Telangana High Court Judge Justice G Radha Rani, Senior BRS leader and vice-chairman of Telangana Planning Board B Vin

The Left parties welcomed the acquittal of former Delhi University professor and activist G N Saibaba in a Maoist-links case on Friday and demanded the immediate release of all political prisoners in the country. More than eight years after his arrest, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court acquitted Saibaba on Friday and ordered his release from jail, noting that the sanction order issued to prosecute the accused in the case under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was "bad in law and invalid". "CPI(M) welcomes (the) acquittal of G N Saibaba and expresses solidarity with him. Many more continue to be persecuted under false charges. Release all political prisoners immediately," the party said in a tweet. A division bench of justices Rohit Deo and Anil Pansare allowed Saibaba's appeal, challenging a 2017 trial court order that convicted him in the case and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Saibaba (52), who is wheelchair-bound due to a .

Senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar on Saturday condemned the violence during the PFI-sponsored hartal in Kerala and lashed out at the CPI(M) saying the Left government was equally responsible for the attacks. Javadekar, Kerala in-charge of the BJP, said the raids were conducted against the Popular Front of India (PFI)in 15 states but violence was witnessed only in the southern state. PFI had called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal on Friday against the National Investigation Agency-led pan India raids against the outfit, for allegedly supporting terror related activities, in which over 100 of its activists were arrested. The protest turned violent in many parts, with government and private vehicles being targeted by miscreants. The former union minister also alleged the PFI and the CPI(M) were hands-in-gloves in Kerala due to which the state was witnessing a complete lawlessness. "Yesterday was a dark day in Kerala because people suffered throughout the state. The PFI was engaged in ...

Left parties on Tuesday hit out at the Union govt over the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, asking it how those who spread hate are free, and someone who exposes them is behind bars

The election of a former guerrilla marks a radical change for a country still scarred by decades of conflict and highlights the depth of frustration with the right-leaning political establishment

He also urged the Congress to develop 'principled friendship' with parties at the all-India level like the one it has with his party in Tamil Nadu

Left parties on Wednesday hit out at the National Monetisation Pipeline announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming that is a plan to "sell" India's assets and it will be "disastrous"

Strong nationalism is always a defining feature of our ideological leaning, says BJP spokesperson

The sport, which began capturing global imagination just after World War I, has been used as a platform to make political and racial statements and broadcast ethnic identities

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for Monday

How support for left and right-leaning parties is changing in social composition