CPM general secretary Prakash Karat today backed politburo member S. Ramachandran Pillai on genetically modified crops, saying his remarks were in line with the party’s views. “What he has said is the understanding of the party. He (SRP) also explained why we are opposed to Bt cotton and Bt brinjal,” Karat told The Telegraph. Pillai told a seminar in Kerala that “it is superstitious to completely oppose” genetically modified seeds, a shift...

The Indian government is exploring a proposal to reduce the limit on foreign direct investment (FDI) allowed in the pharmaceutical industry through the automatic route to 49% from 100% amid concerns over the takeover of local drug makers by overseas firms. Officials from the ministry of commerce and industry and the ministry of health have had multiple rounds of discussions on the proposal following a note written to them by the finance...

Describing the conviction of rights activist Binayak Senby a trial court as “a travesty of justice,” social activist Swami Agnivesh expressed the hope here on Sunday that the Supreme Court would take notice of it and rescind the order. Demanding that Dr. Sen be set free, Swami Agnivesh pointed out that the authorities of the Raipur Central Jail, who were present when he met Narayan Sanyal, Polit Bureau member of the...

The sentencing of Dr. Binayak Sen involves unverified charges, and unreasonable and unconstitutional findings. The constitutional validity of the charges of sedition and conspiracy that were used to implicate rights activists such as Binayak Sen merely for their anti-establishment political thoughts needs to be challenged. The action ridicules the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression. The sections of the Indian Penal Code that deal with “conspiracy to wage war against the government”...

A powerful central CPM leader has said “it is superstitious to completely oppose” genetically modified seeds, a shift that goes against the Left Front stand in Bengal that has a high stake in the debate. “It is superstitious to completely oppose these kinds of seeds. Such seeds could be used after thoroughly ensuring through tests that they would not harm human beings, animals and plants,” S. Ramachandran Pillai, CPM politburo member,...