John Brittas

Member of Parliament (CPI-M)

[John Brittas @JohnBrittas]

First, Palakkad lost around 550 route km to the creation of Salem Division in 2007. Keralam was sought to be assuaged with the Kanjikode Coach Factory. That project has now been officially dropped by Centre, without any concrete alternative commitment. Palakkad, which began with 1,247.58 route km, is now down to just 582.7 route km. Now, before the wounds inflicted by that 2007 restructuring have even healed, again another major and financially significant component of the Division is being removed.

Mangaluru - the financial and operational backbone of the Division - is being taken away with effect from 1 October 2026, taking with it more than half of the Division’s annual revenue. This is not rationalisation; it is the further hollowing out of Palakkad Division and Keralam’s railway strength.

Keralam has waited for decades for the railway commitments made to it to translate into durable institutions, manufacturing capacity, infrastructure and a separate railway zone for the State. It would be deeply unfortunate if yet another restructuring were to leave the State with a smaller railway footprint, even as its long-standing demand for a separate railway zone remains unaddressed and the assurances made in the aftermath of the earlier restructuring remain unfulfilled.

#keralam #indianrailways #palakkad #mangaluru #railwayzone

@AshwiniVaishnaw
@RailMinIndia

[John Brittas @JohnBrittas]

Had a wonderful evening with @ShashiTharoor, @priyankac19 , @MenakaGuruswamy , and @Nidhi at the India International Centre Annexe for the launch and discussion around senior journalist @SobhanaNair’s new book, Housing the Republic: A Biography of the Indian Parliament.

The book is a beautiful and aching love letter to the old Parliament House — the building that shaped so many of us as students, journalists and MPs. From Lutyens & Baker’s design battles to Central Hall’s quiet magic and the soul of our democracy, every page stays with you.
The book captures the profound transformation: how a colonial Council House became the heart of the Republic, adapted under pressure, and now stands beside a new building that is larger and more orderly, yet risks losing the intimacy and argumentative spirit that defined Indian parliamentary life.

#parliamentofindia #sansad #housingtherepublic #india

[John Brittas @JohnBrittas]

The Govt. keeps trumpeting a $5 trillion economy but the dashboard is flashing red.
FPIs have ranked India the least preferred investment destination in Asia-Pacific — again. Corporates are still sitting on capex.
Tax amendments and continuous favours to foreign capital haven’t helped us either! While participating in the Income Tax and other laws amendment Bill, I had underscored exactly this.

#fpi #India #fdi

[John Brittas @JohnBrittas]

"The Central Govt is putting a huge burden on the common people of this nation."

Moved a statutory motion in the Rajya Sabha against the Income Tax Amendment Ordinance 2026 (No. 2 of 2026) and spoke out against the proposed UPI MDR being introduced through TOLA (Taxation and Other Laws Amendment Bill).

#upi #upimdr #TOLA

[CPI (M) @cpimspeak]

#PMCares: Why is public money sitting underutilized in a private fund?
Is this supposed to be Modi's retirement fund?

[Press Trust of India @PTI_News]

VIDEO | Delhi: CPI(M) MP John Brittas says, "On delimitation, the opposition parties have taken a concrete position. We have passed the Women's Reservation Bill. Let it be implemented on the basis of the present strength of Parliament and the state legislatures. There are 543 seats in the Lok Sabha; let one-third of them be reserved for women."

(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)

#Delhi

[John Brittas @JohnBrittas]

Nepal Speaker orders their PM to show up in Parliament after he attended only 5 of 39 sittings….
Maybe we should take a cue or two…..!!

[Vijaita Singh @vijaita]

The Gujarat connection to Fentanyl surge in the U.S. After China cracked down on precursor chemicals, Surat pharma companies started exporting the chemicals masking them as Vitamin C and anti-oxidants. Shipments sent from Mundra and Pipavav ports

[CPI (M) @cpimspeak]

One censorship order every 68 seconds. 1.95 lakh blocking orders to Instagram, Facebook and YouTube in just 5 months, over half of them aimed at Instagram, the platform of the students' movement.

[John Brittas @JohnBrittas]

Six Postal Divisions in Keralam, including Mavelikkara, are reportedly proposed for merger; with Postal Sub-Divisions also being reduced.

This risks weakening local supervision, reducing public access and shrinking recruitment and promotion opportunities in Keralam.

Postal reform must strengthen services - not weaken them. Population cannot become the sole measure of where India’s public institutions and employment opportunities should go.

I have urged the Communications Minister @JM_Scindia to retain the existing Postal Divisions, including Mavelikkara, and review the proposed restructuring in Keralam.

#postalservice #postalreforms #keralam

[CPI (M) @cpimspeak]

“कौन हैं ये ‘दिमागी नक्सल’?”
Who are these 'Dimagi Naxal'?

[CPI(M) Keralam @CPIMKerala]

Comrade P. Krishna Pillai was a remarkable personality who transformed Kerala’s political landscape, despite living for only 42 years. Through nearly two decades of public life, it was under his leadership that the term “Comrade” became synonymous with a leader. From 1930 to 1948, Comrade Krishna Pillai made immense contributions to the growth of the communist movement in Kerala, including as the founding secretary of the Party. On 19 August 1948, while living underground, he died after being bitten by a snake. Today marks the 78th anniversary of his death.
#RedSalute

[CPI (M) @cpimspeak]

SCRAP NTA NOW!
एनटीए को खत्म करो।

[M A Baby @MABABYCPIM]

The raid on journalist Ravi Nair’s homes in Delhi and Kerala by the Gujarat Police is a blatant attack on press freedom. The seizure of devices belonging to his son and colleague, neither of whom is an accused in the case, amounts to criminal overreach. The refusal to provide the hash values of the seized devices, a clear violation of Supreme Court guidelines, is cause for serious alarm. Hash values are crucial safeguards for establishing the integrity of digital evidence and detecting any subsequent alteration of data.

The concerned FIR stems from a tweet about a Washington Post investigation alleging that the Union government intervened to ensure that public money, through LIC investments, was steered to the Adani Group in order to safeguard its business interests. The use of a tweet as a pretext to go after Nair appears designed to avoid the embarrassment of going after an international publication like The Washington Post. It is unfortunate that the Gujarat High Court did not intervene to halt such brazen targeting of a journalist reporting on a matter of clear public interest.

Journalists must be free to investigate and report on those in power without intimidation or harassment. This raid must be condemned and press freedom defended.

[John Brittas @JohnBrittas]

Indian seafarers keep global commerce moving even through conflict zones. Ten of the 16 Indian nationals killed in the Middle East conflict were seafarers - a stark reminder of the risks they bear.

I have urged EAM @DrSJaishankar to establish a single, clearly identifiable 24×7 distress mechanism, strengthen Mission-level intervention and expedite compensation claims, with a common contact point for seafarers sailing in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Black Sea.

I have also sought urgent diplomatic action to trace Shinton Benny, a young seafarer from Kochi, missing since 12 August while serving aboard ‘Victorious Ace’.

#seafarers #india #keralam

[CPI (M) @cpimspeak]

CPI(M) Polit Bureau Demands Scrapping of #NTA and #NEP

[John Brittas @JohnBrittas]

SBI has notified 7,680 regular Junior Associate vacancies nationwide - but “ZERO” for Keralam!!

This is the culmination of a steadily deteriorating recruitment position in Keralam - from 426 vacancies in 2024 to just 247 last year, and now ‘nil’, even as SBI’s national vacancy pool has risen from 5,180 last year to 7,680 now.

Why has Keralam been left out altogether? I have urged the SBI Chairman @challasetty to urgently review the decision and ensure that eligible aspirants from Keralam are not denied this opportunity.

@TheOfficialSBI @arm_rao

#SBI #sbivacancies #keralam

[John Brittas @JohnBrittas]

Different dimensions of "Lungiwala"

A Thought-provoking skit by #lungiwala aka @pahayanmedia

#lungiwala #keralam #malayali

[John Brittas @JohnBrittas]

Be assured, no one will ever say “Dimagi Sanghi”…!

[CPI (M) @cpimspeak]

On this #IndependenceDay, a look back at the glorious contribution of Communists to the Freedom Struggle. #CommunistFreedomFighters

[CPI (M) @cpimspeak]

इस #स्वतंत्रता_दिवस पर, CPI(M) का आह्वान है - आज़ादी के अधूरे वादों को पूरा करेंगे: धर्मनिरपेक्षता, लोकतंत्र, समानता और समाजवाद।
संघर्ष जारी है — सड़कों पर, कारखानों में और खेतों में!
#IndependenceDay