Criminal antecedents of accused from right wing outfits 

The statement reads:

“The hardened criminals who have been arrested for leading the attack have been identified as activists and supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). They are said to have actively campaigned for the BJP in the just concluded local body elections. They are history-sheeters with cases including attempt to murder against them. The first accused Anu son of Appunni has 9 criminal cases against him in the Valayar police station involving serious charges including attempt to murder for gravely injuring CPI (M) and DYFI workers 15 years ago. (FIR No. 336/2015, 419/2015, 002/2009, 106/2012, 569/ 2012, 829/2013, 364/2012, 30/2007, 04/2023 all in Valayar Town North and Kasaba Police stations).

“Another accused, Prasad son of Chandran has 2 cases (FIR No. 996/2014, 821/ 2015) and Murali son of Chathu has 3 cases (FIR No. 106/2012, 2/2009, 569/2012). During the court proceedings local BJP leader R Jineesh, an accused in another murder case visited the accused and arranged support.

In a detailed analysis of the state of affairs in the country has not spared the top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP.) Says the statement, “The hate-campaign unleashed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah raising the false bogey of illegal “Bangladeshi infiltrators” for electoral benefits through communal polarisation is responsible for creating such an atmosphere. In the context of widespread murders of innocent people especially after Narendra Modi become the Prime Minister, AIKS once again reiterates the demand for a law against mob lynching with strong deterrent punishment and state support to victim families.”

“Widespread attacks against the Christian and Muslim minorities across India are going on in a way damaging national unity.  Christmas celebrations also were targeted by the Sangh Parivar organisations even in the capital city, New Delhi. The United Christian Forum (UCF) in a letter to the Home Minister had pointed out that there were 843 incidents of crime in 2024 alone against Christians across India, meaning 70 violent incidents per month. In 2025 till November 706 such incidents were recorded.”

The AIKS has appealed to all political parties, mass and class movements across the country to unite against hate politics and communal polarisation being spearheaded by the Sangh Parivar and the BJP. Let us all unite against hate and divisive communal polarisation.  The statement was signed by AIKS president, Ashok Dhawale and general secretary, Vijoo Krishnan.

Related:

Kerala Lynching: Migrant worker lynched in Palakkad a ‘victim of Sangh Parivar’s hate politics’ says state government

The post Demand that Modi provides Rs 1 crore compensation for migrant worker, Ram Narayan Baghel killed by right wing goons in Kerala: AIKS appeared first on SabrangIndia.

He is survived by his wife Shobha, their younger son Dhananjay (their elder son Devtosh unfortunately passed away in 2017 due to cancer) and other family members.

Kishore Theckedath’s family hailed from Perinjanam village of Thrissur district of Kerala, but he was born and brought up in Mumbai. His father was a textile mill worker in the Dhanraj Mills in Mumbai and his mother was a home maker. Kishore was born on November 8, 1936, did his B.Sc. with Physics and Mathematics, M.Sc. in both Pure and Applied Mathematics, and much later in 1987 he completed his Ph.D. with the subject ‘Dialectical Materialism and Modern Science, with special reference to the Theories of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics’. But despite all his erudition, Kishore was always very proud of his working-class roots.

He first joined state government service as a clerk. After his first M.Sc. in 1958 he taught in various schools and colleges, and then from 1965 in the famous Wilson College in Mumbai for 30 years, until he took voluntary retirement in 1994. He was always a much-loved teacher.

Theckedath was among the founder members of the Bombay University and College Teachers Union (BUCTU) in 1966. He put in tremendous pioneering efforts to build the college teachers’ movement in Mumbai by personally visiting several colleges regularly, meeting teachers, learning about their problems, and organising them to fight against injustice. He was elected without a break to the BUCTU Executive Committee for half a century from 1966 to 2016. He was elected BUCTU General Secretary for over a decade from 1974, and later its President.

In 1975 he was elected the founder General Secretary of the Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (MFUCTO), and later its President for many years. He was also elected President of the All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (AIFUCTO) in 1987.

Many were the valiant and victorious struggles of teachers that were collectively led during those years against the injustice done by the managements of various universities and colleges, and against the educational policies of the then Congress-led central and state governments (policies which pale in comparison with the disastrous atrocities on education being perpetrated today by the RSS-BJP-led central and state governments). Theckedath was always a staunch and inveterate opponent of the RSS, BJP and the Sangh Parivar. This was evident in all his writings and public speeches, and in his interventions in Party forums.

Thekedath was one of the leading lights of the united teachers’ movement in Mumbai and Maharashtra. He took the lead in bringing together various teachers organisations from KG to PG for united struggles. He was one of the founders of the Coordination Committee of the Teachers of Bombay (CCTOB) in 1977. Under his leadership, the BUCTU and MFUCTO became active participants in the united trade union movement and the employees’ movement.

Theckedath was ideologically attracted to Marxism after studying the work of J B S Haldane, a scientist of international fame, who was a Marxist. He joined the CPI(M) in 1966 after his contact and discussions with senior Party leaders P B Rangnekar and M V Gopalan. The first state secretary of the CPI(M) in Maharashtra, S Y Kolhatkar, was his mentor.

He was also elected to the Party’s Mumbai district committee in 1977, the state committee in 1982, and then to the state secretariat in 2012. He was a special invitee to the state committee till his demise. His contribution to the Party was valuable and multi-faceted. He pioneered the building of the Party among teachers and students in Maharashtra.

Theckedath was a prominent Marxist intellectual with several books and articles to his credit. He was also a Marxist teacher par excellence. Some of his books are: A First Course in Marxist Economic Theory; Dialectics, Relativity and Quantum; and Frederick Engels and Modern Science. His articles have been published in journals like The Marxist and Social Scientist.

Besides, he was the Vice President of the Kerala People’s Education Society (KPES), which has been running the large Adarsh Vidyalaya in Mumbai very well for several decades.

I was fortunate to have had an extremely close political and personal relationship with Kishore for the last 47 years, ever since I joined the Party in 1978. He was in charge of the Mumbai Students’ Party Branch, of which I was first a member and then the Branch Secretary. I feel happy that he was elected to the Party’s state secretariat during my tenure as the Party’s state secretary. Numerous are the fond memories which I have of this wonderful comrade and human being, which, alas, have to be withheld due to constraints of space.

Theckedath’s funeral was held near his home in Borivli, Mumbai on December 21. It was my privilege that I could pay my personal homage to him and try to console his family. The funeral was attended by CPI(M) former state secretariat member and teachers’ union veteran leader Tapati Mukhopadhyay, state secretariat members S K Rege, Shailendra Kamble, and Prachi Hatiwlekar, state control commission chairperson and teachers’ union veteran leader Madhu Paranjape, and several leaders of the Party, the teachers’ movement, and other mass fronts.

The CPI(M) lowers its red flag in memory of its remarkable leader Dr Kishore Theckedath.

Related:

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Calendar dedicated to Comrade Tera Singh Chan released

The post Kishore Theckedath: an exceptional Marxist intellectual and mass organiser appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Clearly emboldened by some recent poll gains by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in local elections in the state, RSS-BJP worker Aswin Raj allegedly assaulted the children who participated in the carol and damaged their musical instrument. The band used by the carol group belonged to the CPI (M) area committee. The state police have promptly arrested Mr. Raj following a complaint.

This attack on Christians follows a ghastly incident of lynching of a Muslim migrant labour in Kerala on December 13. Reports of this may be read here.

Protest carols by DYFI

In a strong condemnation of the attack, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) –affiliated to the CPI-M- has announced that it would organise protest carols across the district. All 2,500 DYFI units celebrate through protest carols, the youth organisation said. Challenging the RSS and the BJP to prevent or disrupt the protest carols, the DYFI warned that it would “respond in an appropriate manner.”

In a questionable reaction, the BJP State vice-president C. Krishnakumar justified the attack, claiming that the carol was organised by the CPI (M) area committee and that the participants were intoxicated. He alleged that the members of the carol group had “deliberately attempted to create trouble.” The BJP leader’s remarks have drawn sharp criticism. Describing Krishnakumar as “the Praveen Togadia of Palakkad,” the DYFI said he had “exposed his true communal face.”

Meanwhile, Palakkad Bishop Mar Peter Kochupurackal condemned the attack, saying he hoped that “those responsible will handle the matter legally.”

The Congress—at loggerheads with the CPI-M otherwise, has described the attack as the BJP’s “natural response to its failure to secure the expected support from the Christian community” in the recent civic body elections. It termed the incident “an attack on communal harmony” and demanded that those responsible be brought to book.

The police said Mr. Raj was already facing charges under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA). He has now been booked under various sections, including those relating to causing hurt and promoting communal violence.

Related:

MP, Odisha, Delhi, Rajasthan: Right-wing outfits barge into 2 churches ahead of Christmas, attack vendors selling X’mas goodies, tensions run high

No right to live, or die: Christians in Chhattisgarh, and India under attack

‘Brutal intimidation of Christians’ all India condemned: Bombay Catholic Sabha

The post Kerala: Protests erupt after RSS-BJP man’s alleged attack on children’s Christmas carol group in Palakkad appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The statement says that “there are videos galore of such tactics by right wing actors and actresses and some belonging to the ruling party.” One such video is attached (in the BCS’ spokesperson Dolphy D’souza’s social media post) showcasing such shameful tactics. The organization has already brought this to the attention of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, “seeking his intervention to stop this madness.”

Besides, the organization that represents close to 70,000 Catholics in the Mumbai region has also, through the social media, drawn attention to the serious matter of spiralling attacks against Christians, of Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, Ms Mamta Banerjee,TMC , Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party, Sharad Pawar , NCP (Sharad Pawar), Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT), M. K. Stalin, DMK and. Pinarayi Vijayan of the CPI (M) for their immediate attention and intervention. The BCS has also tagged Chief Minister (CM), Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis pointing out that there were incidents of attacks of Christians in Maharashtra too during 2025.

To Fadavis, BCS has urged that he ensures that Christians in Mumbai, Maharashtra have a peaceful Christmas season. Police need to be instructed to strictly ensure enforcement of rule of law equally for all. We demand that such goonda elements responsible for such tactics must be arrested and prosecuted.

Dear Hon’ble Prime Minister,
Merry Christmas
This video of attacks on Christians during the Christmas season anguishes & pains all citizens.
We seek yr immediate intervention to prevent such atrocities. https://t.co/WnEseiAQMG @narendramodi @PMOIndia @AmitShah @Dev_Fadnavis

— Dolphy Dsouza (@dolphydsouza) December 23, 2025

Dear Hon’ble Rahul Gandhi, LoP,
Merry Christmas.
Need your intervention to stop this brutal and intimidating madness! @RahulGandhi @kharge @SoniaGandhiiINC @priyankagandhi @chennithala @kcvenugopalmp @DrAMSinghvi @Jairam_Ramesh @thecaravanindia @thewire_in @scroll_in https://t.co/aee04DyO36

— Dolphy Dsouza (@dolphydsouza) December 23, 2025

Dear Hon’ble C.M. Mr. Devendra Fadnavis
Merry Christmas
There hv been incidents of Anti- Christian violence in Maharashtra during this year. We urge you this Christmas season, the police are instructed to ensure that Christians are able to celebrate peacefully. @Dev_Fadnavis https://t.co/aee04DyO36

— Dolphy Dsouza (@dolphydsouza) December 23, 2025

Citizens for Justice and Peace (cjp.org.in) has, over the past few days been highlighting these systemic attacks against Christians especially in Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. These can be read here.

Related:

MP, Odisha, Delhi, Rajasthan: Right-wing outfits barge into 2 churches ahead of Christmas, attack vendors selling X’mas goodies, tensions run high

No right to live, or die: Christians in Chhattisgarh, and India under attack

Documenting a national pattern of vigilantism & targeted action against minorities

The post ‘Brutal intimidation of Christians’ all India condemned: Bombay Catholic Sabha appeared first on SabrangIndia.

According to the news report, Additional District Judge Saurabh Dwivedi also directed that the case be categorised as “most important” and heard on a daily basis. The Court also directed the prosecution to record evidence in the case at the earliest. The case will be heard next on January 6.

Akhlaq (50) was lynched by a mob over rumours of alleged cow slaughter and storing its meat at his home in Dadri’s Bisada village on September 28, 2015. This lynching, among the most prominent to dot the Modi era in Indian politics had caused a national outrage at the time.

Citizens for Justice and Peace has tracked the case closely and in this detailed legal overview questioned the state’s motive to withdraw the case, a decade after the shameful and ghastly lynching at Dadri in Western Uttar Pradesh. This analysis may be read here.

On October 15, the UP government had moved an application to withdraw prosecution in the case, citing reasons from ranged from allegedly “inconsistent statements by Akhlaq’s relatives” in naming the accused; the fact that no firearm or sharp weapon was recovered from the accused, to the lack of any enmity or hostility recorded between the accused and the victim.

Yesterday, the Indian Express had reported that the UP government has now made essentially the same argument that two of the accused had presented earlier. The Indian Express reported Monday that in its application to withdraw the case against the men accused of lynching Mohammad Akhlaq, the Uttar Pradesh government has made essentially the same argument that two of the accused had presented when they applied successfully for bail more than eight years ago

On September 28, 2015, a mob gathered outside his house after an announcement from the village temple alleged that he had slaughtered a cow. Akhlaq and his son Danish, who tried to intervene, were dragged out of their home and assaulted until they fell unconscious. Akhlaq later died at a Noida hospital, while Danish survived after suffering severe head injuries and undergoing major surgery.

Police had registered an FIR at Jarcha police station under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC ) 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 323 (assault), 504 (intentional insult to disturb peace), among others, based on a complaint by Akhlaq’s wife, Ikraman.

The state police filed the charge sheet on December 23, 2015, before the magistrate court in Surajpur, naming 15 people, including a minor, in connection with the lynching. All the accused are currently out on bail. However, the charge sheet had not specifically mentioned cow meat, as the final forensic report was not available at the time.

Related:

The Lynching of Mohammed Akhlaq

Victims of Gautankwad: Pehlu Khan

Victims of Gautankwad: Alimuddin Ansari

Lynched in India

The post Dadri lynching: UP Court rejects state govt plea to withdraw charges against Akhlaq murder accused appeared first on SabrangIndia.

This questionable decision was made during a meeting of the Chaudhary community held last Sunday in Gazipur village, Jalore district, chaired by Sujnaram Chaudhary, the president of the 14 pattis (subdivisions). The meeting was chaired by community president Sujanaram Chaudhary, with elders deliberating on mobile phone usage within families. The resolution was formally read out by Panch Himmataram and proposed by Devaram Karnol, community members said. The controversial “ban”, it is reported, will be enforced in villages including Gajipura, Pavli, Kalra, Manojia Vas, Rajikawas, Datlawas, Rajpura, Kodi, Sidrodi, Alri, Ropsi, Khanadeval, Savidhar, Hathmi ki Dhani of Bhinmal, and Khanpur, all of which fall within the Patti region of Jalore district.

It was while speaking to PTI, that Chaudhary said that Panch Himmtaram announced the decision. According to Himmtaram, after discussions among panch members and community members, it was decided that daughters-in-law and young women would exclusively use keypad phones for calling.

Besides this, school-going girls who need mobile phones for their studies may use them only at home. They are not allowed to take mobile phones to weddings, social events, or even to a neighbour’s house, Chaudhary further explained, Chaudhary mentioned further. No restrictions have been reportedly placed on boys going to school, however!

When he was questioned on the opposition regarding the panchayat’s decision, Chaudhary clarified that this measure was taken because children often use the mobile phones of women in their households, which may negatively affect their eyesight. He noted that some women give their phones to children to keep them distracted, allowing them to focus on their daily chores.

The New Indian Express reported how Jalore has witnessed similar controversial community diktats in the past. Last year, 2024, local elders ordered the social boycott of two families after a young couple entered into a love marriage, imposing a fine of ₹12 lakh for their re-entry into the community. The couple later approached the Bhinmal police, following which police intervened and facilitated a compromise with most elders, though a few continued to justify the boycott.

June 2025, Caste panchayat enforces social boycott of 55 families in Jalore

In another similar incident in June, a caste panchayat in Jalore announced a social boycott of 55 families over a long-standing dispute related to temple land between two factions of the same extended family. The diktat barred community members from attending weddings, social functions, and even funerals of the affected families. The panchayat also warned that anyone who raised objections would face excommunication and monetary penalties. A complaint in connection with the matter was subsequently lodged at the Bagra police station.

Related:

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A right half won, evolution of women’s right to property under the Hindu Succession Act

Women, married or unmarried have the right to safe & legal abortion: SC

The post Rajasthan panchayat in Jalore district bans camera phones for daughters-in-law appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The recent assault on the Editor of New Age and Editors’ Council President Nurul Kabir, and the mob attacks on the offices of the widely circulated Bangla daily Prothom Alo, and leading English-language publication Daily Star, in particular, mark a serious and deadly escalation in the ongoing cycle of violence against and intimidation of the media in Bangladesh.

The Guild has also noted with the gravest concern reports of death threats on social media against media persons, and has called on the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh to immediately ensure the physical safety and well-being of journalists, and for quick action against the perpetrators of such violence.

These attacks constitute a clear violation of media freedom in South Asia and are an attempt to silence independent media voices and constrain civic discourse. The Guild calls on the authorities in Bangladesh and elsewhere to ensure that immediate action is taken to ensure that the media is allowed to function in an atmosphere free of threats, intimidations and violence.

The statement has been issued by the Guild president, Sanjay Kapoor, general secretary Raghavan Srinivasan and general secretary, Teresa Rehman.

Related:

Chaos in Bangladesh provides opportunity to right-wing social media to spread misinformation regarding Hindus, temples being attacked in the country

Kerala: BJP activists attack MediaOne TV headquarters during victory celebrations

One more attack on the Media: Local journalist thrashed and urinated upon by railway police, UP

The post Bangladesh: Assault and mob attack on journalists condemned by EGI appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Ramnarayan Baghel, 31, was a resident of Champa district in Chhattisgarh and had travelled to Kerala on December 13. He was lynched in Attappallam village after being suspected of theft.

In a video of the incident circulating on social media, the assailants can be heard asking Baghel: “Are you a Bangladeshi?” reported The Indian Express.

In reaction, Kerala’s Local Self Government Minister MB Rajesh said that Baghel had been “attacked after being stigmatised as Bangladeshi”, the newspaper reported. Rajesh, who is a Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader from Palakkad, alleged that the assailants included RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) workers, who are facing criminal charges in other cases. The RSS has a high number of branches (shakhas) in Kerala and recently its political formation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BBJP) made significant inroads in local elections, even winning Trivandrum (Thiruvanthapuram).

“The migrant worker who came in search of a job was tried (sic) and assaulted, accused of being a Bangladeshi,” Rajesh was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. “He is a victim of the racial hatred being spread by Sangh Parivar in the country.”

Following the killing, on last Thursday, the Kerala Police arrested five persons in the case and charged them with murder, according to the newspaper. Meanwhile, the victim, Baghel’s family refused to receive his body at the Thrissur Medical College Hospital on Sunday, reported The Hindu. They demanded compensation of Rs 25 lakh and for the state government to bear the cost of transporting the body to his village. On Monday, the Kerala government promised compensation of at least Rs 10 lakh to the family, reported The Indian Express.

Palakkad Superintendent of Police Ajith Kumar said that a Special Investigation Team, headed by the deputy superintendent, has been formed to probe the case. He added that the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act will be included against the persons accused in the matter.

Related:

A Decade after Bisada: Why Uttar Pradesh’s attempt to drop the Akhlaq lynching case defies law and constitution

India’s ‘tradition’ and ‘culture’ of lynching

CJP flags 8 incidents of hate crime including lynchings to National Commission for Minorities

The post Kerala Lynching: Migrant worker lynched in Palakkad a ‘victim of Sangh Parivar’s hate politics’ says state government appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On December 19, rural India spoke in many accents—but with a shared unease. From drought-hit districts to tribal belts and agrarian heartlands, agricultural labourers and rural workers across the country held coordinated protests against the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, which replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Organisers framed the mobilisations not as episodic dissent but as part of a longer struggle to defend rights-based welfare against increasing executive discretion.

Called by the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, farm worker unions, and peasant organisations, the nationwide protests reflected widespread concern that a legally enforceable right to work was being replaced by a discretionary, mission-mode programme.

Maharashtra: “Without the Guarantee, Drought Becomes Death”

In several districts of Marathwada, groups of farm workers gathered outside tehsil offices, holding up job cards as symbols of survival.

“Here, farming depends on the monsoon and fate,” groups of agricultural labourers from drought-prone Marathwada districts said. “MGNREGA meant at least food when crops failed. Without the guarantee, drought becomes death.”

Workers said that while wage delays had become routine, the legal right to demand work still provided leverage.

“Earlier, we could demand work or unemployment allowance,” workers from Beed and Osmanabad districts said. “Now everything will depend on the mood of officials.”

Jharkhand: “From Right to Request”

In Ranchi, protests drew participation from Adivasi workers from Khunti, Gumla, and Simdega districts.

“MGNREGA allowed us to stay in our villages instead of migrating,” Adivasi workers from central Jharkhand said. “If the guarantee goes, migration will return.”

Activists accompanying the workers said the shift from a right to a scheme would have lasting consequences.

“This bill turns a constitutional promise into a programme,” said Adivasi rights activist Dayamani Barla. “A programme can be stopped. A right cannot.”

Bihar: “Migration Will Increase Again”

In Patna, groups of construction and agricultural labourers linked the new law directly to distress migration.

“Every train to Delhi is full of workers from Bihar,” groups of rural labourers from north and central Bihar said. “MGNREGA reduced migration slightly. Removing the guarantee will push people out again.”

Women workers highlighted how the programme enabled local employment.

“MGNREGA allowed us to work near home and care for our families,” women workers from Gopalganj and Muzaffarpur districts said. “Without it, we will be forced to leave.”

Kerala: “Women Will Pay the Price”

In Kerala, where women form a significant proportion of MGNREGA workers, protests were led largely by women’s collectives.

“MGNREGA gave us dignity, not charity,” groups of women workers from Alappuzha and Palakkad districts said. “If wages become uncertain, women will be the first to lose work.”

Trade union leaders warned that replacing a rights-based programme with a centralised mission would undermine decentralised planning.

“This is a retreat from democratic governance,” said CPI(M) leader and former MP Elamaram Kareem. “Kerala’s experience shows that employment guarantees work when people can demand them.”

Tamil Nadu: “This Is About Control, Not Development”

Protests in Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, and Dindigul focused on the erosion of local decision-making.

“MGNREGA worked because panchayats had a role,” groups of rural workers from southern Tamil Nadu said. “This bill takes control away from local bodies.

Workers also pointed to rising costs of living.

“Food prices are rising every month,” women workers from Dindigul and Theni districts said. “If work becomes uncertain, survival becomes uncertain.”

Punjab: Farmers and Labourers Together

In Punjab, farmer unions joined rural labourers, framing the issue as part of a wider agrarian crisis.

“When labourers lose income security, agriculture weakens,” said Sanyukt Kisan Morcha leader Balbir Singh Rajewal. “This reflects the same mindset that pushed the farm laws.”

Protesting labour groups echoed the concern.

“Rural employment schemes support the entire village economy,” groups of landless labourers from Punjab’s Doaba and Malwa regions said.

Northeast: “One Law Cannot Fit All”

In Nagaland, protests organised by the Congress and civil society groups highlighted the region’s dependence on public employment.

“Our villages have few alternatives,” groups of rural workers from Nagaland said. “A uniform law ignores regional realities.”

Senior Congress leader K. Therie said the bill failed to recognise economic disparities between states.

Political Opposition: “Anti-Village”

Opposition leaders across parties amplified the protests.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi described the bill as “anti-village and anti-state,” arguing that development cannot be built by withdrawing guarantees from the poorest citizens.

“You cannot weaken the foundation and expect the structure to stand,” he said.

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said the legislation reflected a systematic dilution of labour protections.

“From labour laws to rural employment, guarantees are being steadily eroded,” she said.

Parliament vs the Streets

The protests coincided with dramatic scenes in Parliament, where Opposition MPs staged walkouts and overnight sit-ins following the bill’s passage. “ They rushed the law because they feared scrutiny,” said CPI general secretary D. Raja. “What Parliament avoided debating, the people debated on the streets.” Economists and labour researchers warned that replacing rights with schemes shifts power away from citizens. “ A scheme depends on budgetary discretion,” said social activist and economist Jean Drèze. “A right depends on law.”

What December 19 Revealed

As protests dispersed peacefully across states, organisers announced plans for sustained mobilisation.

“They can change the name and the structure,” groups of rural workers from Chhattisgarh and Odisha said while leaving protest sites. “But hunger does not change.”

December 19 did not reverse the VB-G RAM G Bill. But it revealed something harder to legislate away: rural India’s collective memory of what a guarantee meant—and its refusal to let that memory be erased quietly.

Courtesy: The AIDEM

The post “They Changed the Law, Aggravating Our Misery and Hunger” appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Let there be Christmas to help us realise that Joseph together with his young, pregnant wife had to trudge a long distance to get themselves registered in Bethlehem due to a Roman decree by Caesar Augustus, which required everyone to return to their ancestral hometown for a census to account for taxation and lineage. Joseph was of King David’s line, so he had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem (David’s city) with Mary. We live in a similar reality today in India: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has disenfranchised innumerable citizens who belong to the minority communities and to the poorer sections of society. With Census 2027 on the threshold, the reality for the entire country will perhaps become even worse! So let there be Christmas which does not disenfranchise anyone!

Let there be Christmas when we humbly learn to accept that Joseph and Mary are migrants, who come from a different part of the country; they are kept out on the streets, very strongly told that “there is no place in the inn.” Later, with Jesus, they become refugees. Scripture tells us, “An angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to seek the child to destroy him.” Like so many today, the Holy Family of Nazareth becomes refugees overnight. The land that will provide them refuge and protect them, is Egypt – a pagan country. So let there be Christmas when we will accept and integrate migrants and refugees in our lives and treat them as family!

Let there be Christmas which makes us focus on the stable, the manger, the crib. The place Jesus is born! He is the Son of God! The Saviour of all mankind. He could have chosen a palace as his birthplace with its wealth and pomp, comfort and security. But Jesus choses the poverty and frugality of a stable: with its stench and squalour, the straw and swaddling clothes, the moos and the warmth of the animals housed there. So let there be Christmas which leads us to the frugal and simple, the poor and vulnerable of this world

Let there be Christmas so that we identify with the shepherds! They live in the rugged hills. They are simple, unlettered, marginalized folk, a minority community; their expertise was in tending sheep. Their life was difficult: with long nights spent in the open, biting cold. They are like our rural poor who are today deprived of the benefits of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). When the shepherds were given the “good news” of the birth of the Saviour they leave their sheep behind (their attachments) and ran in haste to worship him; their priorities are very clear: they had to be the first witnesses to the herald of the angels! So let there be Christmas for us to reach out to the excluded, the exploited, the minorities, those who live on the peripheries, the ‘others’, the ones who are denigrated and demonised, who are treated as ‘untouchables’!

Let there be Christmas when we are attune to the song of the angels and make it our own! It is not ‘Vande Mataram’ but “Glory to God in the highest and peace to all men and women of goodwill!”  A song of peace, a song which is inclusive and belongs to all!! It transcends narrowness and pettiness; xenophobia and jingoism; arrogance and divisiveness. So let there be Christmas when we live the song and   communicate its spirit to others and ultimately ensure that is peace is a reality in the lives of all people.

Let there be Christmas when we learn the openness and the persistence of the Magi. They lived in a distant land. They possessed wisdom and wealth. However, they had a singular mission in life: a relentless search for the truth and for the Messiah that would epitomise that truth. These were men who studied the ancient manuscripts. They were no pushovers; they knew their stuff. They go out of their way, find Jesus and give him of their best! They realise that having found the truth they have to take a stand for justice. They go back home by ‘another way’ thwarting the evil designs of a ruthless, jealous, fascist ruler. So let there be Christmas, when we are not afraid to seek truth and stand up for what is right.

Let there be Christmas to look for the Star. The Star which guided the Magi and which needs to guide us, always, particularly in this Jubilee Year, when we are called to be pilgrims of hope. That star is a lodestar that guides us when we are lost, when we are caught in the pitfalls of life (like the wiles of a dictator). If we are open to its directions, it will give us endless and relevant possibilities, to take a different path and to stand against the power of evil and injustice in this world. So let there be Christmas which gives us the prophetic courage to dream the impossible dream and to reach for the unreachable star!

Let there be Christmas when we search for what is right, what is just, what is holy! Like the ‘Anawim’ a broken people, who waited in patience and hope, searching for the Messiah; someone who would liberate them from their suffering, from the shackles of bondage.  Mary who sings the ‘Magnificat’; everyone respects her; no one dares pull out her ‘hijab’!  The relentless search of a people for truth, light and for a new tomorrow! It is a search by so many people for a meaning and fulfilment in life, that will have no end! So let there be Christmas when we awake to a new dawn, and bring hope to our brutal, broken world!

Let there be Christmas that gives us the honesty and authenticity, to live against the stream however difficult it is. Material celebration of a festival certainly has a place. But ‘Christmas has been relegated to vulgar materialism, crass commercialisation, unbridled consumerism, blatant hedonism, dancing and merriment, overeating and drinking, the vulgar display of opulence and wanton waste. All this throttles the real spirit and meaning of this festival! We must say an emphatic “NO” to all this. Besides, Christmas is today equated with Santa Claus and Christmas Trees, reindeers, sleighs and snow, with splurging, shopping and extravagance, with tinsels and baubles, mistletoes and holly wreaths. None of these, we all know, have anything to do with the birth of Jesus. Powerful, commercial and other vested interests have meticulously and manipulatively taken Jesus out from Christmas. Sadly, many, have succumbed to this trickery! So let there be Christmas when we truly celebrate the birth of Jesus!

When God our Creator, created the world, the Holy Bible tells us he said “Let there be Light…sky, water, earth, fish, animals….” He finally created man (Adam and Eve). Looking from above, he tells each one of us today, “Let there be Christmas!”

Are we listening?

19 December 2025

(The author is an internationally renowned human rights, reconciliation & peace activist and writer.)

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