‘Cloud of Dictatorship’
Anantkumar Hegde, BJP MP from Uttari Karnataka, is again in the news.

Close on the heels of his controversial statement about demolition of a mosque and his invoking of Hindu community who would not rest ‘until more mosques are reclaimed’, he has delivered another explosive statement.

This time the whole edifice of Constitution is under his attack, which according to him has ‘distortions introduced by the Congress to suppress Hindu society’.

Critics have rightly said how this suggestion exhibits real intentions of the saffron regime which dreams to usher in Hindu Rashtra, end reservation for scheduled and backward communities, reinforce caste system and also replace Constitution drafted by Dr Ambedkar with a worldview inspired by Manusmriti. The main opposition party Congress has expressed fear that all such statements, steps just go to vindicate how a ‘cloud of dictatorship’ now hovers over India.

It is a different matter that neither BJP top guns nor PM Modi– who had famously declared way back in 2014 that for him ‘Constitution is the most sacred book’ deemed it important to condemn Hegde’s statements or ordered him to seek apology for his claim.
Subhas Gatade

Aadhaar Card Cancellation in WB
The fact-finding delegation, which visited Krishnaganj area of Nadia district on February 20 to investigate the reports of Aadhaar Card deactivations, stated that these revocations are not merely a procedural matter, but an issue which will have perilous impact on the people.

The delegation said that in this region, around 700 people's Aadhaar cards have been deactivated by the UIDAI office. Those whose cards were cancelled are mostly from marginalised Namoshudra (SC) communities, and most of them are unorganised labourers or agricultural workers. Due to the deactivation, the victims couldn't perform banking transactions, and issues like financial problems, helplessness, and fear have taken grip among the people.

In the past 10 years of Modi regime, availing basic services has been linked to the requirement of functional Aadhaar. Furthermore, the Election Commission, despite severe opposition, has added Aadhaar seeding for Voter ID cards. In this backdrop, there will be a disastrous impact on the poor and their lives and livelihoods with revocation of Aadhaar cards. The delegation noted that the country has seen the dangerous impact of mandatory Aadhaar was seen when Eleven-year-old Santoshi Kumari of Jharkhand died of starvation in 2017 because her family’s ration card was not linked to their Aadhaar.

 The majority of Aadhaar cards cancelled in the region belonged to non-Muslim marginalised communities. With the BJP government notifying the divisive and discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Rules on the eve of LokSabha Elections, clearly the Aadhaar cancellations is a major political conspiracy not only against the Muslim population but against the entire poor and working class.
Central Committee,
CPIML Liberation

CAA–A Major Political Conspiracy
The notification of rules for implementation of the patently unjust, discriminatory and divisive Citizenship Amendment Act passed in December 2019 signals a major political conspiracy just ahead of the notification of the 2024 poll schedule. The CAA, as indicated by Amit Shah in his famous 'chronology' explanation, is a precursor to a nationwide NRC-NPR exercise aimed at stripping undocumented citizens of their citizenship rights. CAA clearly seeks to polarise citizens on the basis of their religious affiliation, deceptively promising citizenship to non-Muslim 'refugees' while threatening Muslims with loss of citizenship and possible deportation. But going by the experience of the NRC exercise in Assam and the ongoing demolition drives across the country, the poor of every community including Adivasis and forest-dwellers are going to be particularly vulnerable.

The democratic opinion of the country and the equal citizenship and constitutional rights movement have rejected the CAA-NRC package as an assault on the Constitution. The notification of the CAA rules just ahead of the elections underlines the urgency of the people's movement to defend the constitutional foundation of democracy and the need to vote out the Modi regime in the coming elections.
Central Committee,
CPIML Liberation

Bitcoin
Bitcoin is gaining traction once again. Bitcoin, touted as the 'King of Crypto currencies,' is being hailed as a 'superior asset.' Financial analysts have started singing its praises in mainstream newspapers. Pink newspapers are publishing reports that are uncritical and borderline promotional.

Bitcoin is not an 'asset.' It has no inherent value. It is, at best, a speculative gambling tool, a technically sophisticated pyramid scheme. Those who 'trade' or 'invest' in it could make or lose a fortune, just as one does in gambling.
Team Madras Courier

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Frontier
Vol 56, No. 41, Apr 7 - 13, 2024