Air India Casual Workers Union (AICWU) held a consultative meeting to intensify their agitation at the gate of Air India Cargo office at Meenambakkam Airport, Chennai on 21st of January, 2012. Union leaders and activists spoke with anger about their conditions in the work place and the indifferent attitude of the management to these conditions. They elaborated the steps taken by the workers and their union to bring the attention of the management to resolve the workers problems.

Media, print and visual both, is often referred to as “Fourth estate”, or “Fourth Pillar of Indian democracy” and many including well meaning but innocent people sincerely believe in this falsehood. However those who participate in people’s movements know very well from their day to day experience that far from being independent, the media in fact is a very potent tool in the hands of ruling classes to create, confuse and divert public opinion.

Human rights activists joined by hundreds of students, workers and women marched from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar in Delhi raising slogans in defense of human, democratic and national rights, and demanding that those responsible for violation of these rights be punished. This year marked the 63rd anniversary of the Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Rights by the United Nations. The rally was initiated and organised by the Lok Raj Sangathan.

An anti-nuclear protest demonstration was organized on December 8 at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi by various organisations including CNDP, NAPM, AISA, INSAF, Delhi Forum, Delhi Solidarity Group, Delhi Platform, and Artists against Nuclear Power. Many activists who have been opposing the opening of the Kudangulam nuclear plant had come all the way from the site of the plant at Idinthakarai in Turnelveli district of Tamil Nadu to Delhi.

Dr,V.Pugazhenthi is a well known and respected doctor from Tamilnadu for his dedicated efforts to reveal the truth about ill effects of radiation in the areas surrounding Kalpakkam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamilnadu. Dr.Pugazhenthi is a gold medallist from Madurai Medical college. He chose to work amongst poor and needy instead of persuing higher studies. Since 1989 he has been working tirelessly providing inexpensive medical services to thousands of patients from villages surrounding Kalpakkam Nuclear Power plant.

The Fukushima disaster has raised questions all over the world about what has been touted (especially by the vested interests) as the “nuclear renaissance” as the answer to the energy and climate crises. Following the Fukushima disaster, China, Germany, Switzerland, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines are reviewing their nuclear power programs. Says Alexander Glaser, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University: “It will take time to grasp the full impact of the unimaginable human tragedy unfolding after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan-but it is already clear that the proposition of a global nuclear renaissance ended on that day”.

Activists of the Lok Raj Sangathan organised a militant protest action on November 1, 2011, to mark the 27th anniversary of the state organised genocide of Sikhs. The rally was held outside the busy Chhatrpati Shivaji Terminus in the Fort area of Mumbai. Tens of thousands of copies of a leaflet issused by the Mharashtra Committee of the Lok Raj Sangathan were distributed to the working people as they were returning from their work to catch the local trains.

All peace loving people across the world must condemn in no uncertain terms the brutal murder of Col. Muammar Qadaffi towards the end of October 2011. After initial claims that he was killed in cross-fire and from wounds sustained in a firefight, there are now indications that he was summarily executed in cold blood by so-called `rebel fighters'. The reactionary international media is celebrating what they call the end of civil war in Libya and there are moves afoot to recognize the so-called National Transitional Council as the legitimate government of Libya. Before the murder, the US imperialist bloodhound Ms. Hillary Clinton had visited Tripoli and had called openly for the assassination of Qadaffi.

We, the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union (MSEU), Suzuki Powertrain India Employees Union (SPIEU) and Suzuki Motorcycle India Employees Union (SMIEU), have been on strike in our respective plants in Gurgaon-Manesar from the 7th of October, 2011, demanding our right to respectable and non-precarious employment and unionization. Our movement stands at a crucial juncture today; we therefore send this appeal to all the labouring people of the country and beyond, the trade unions and all other sections of society which have stood with us in solidarity to come forward with renewed vigour to take this movement forward.