People's Democracy

HELD at N K Upadhyaya Manch, P Ramachandra Rao Nagar, in Bellary from January 28 to 31, the 17th Karnataka state conference of the CPI(M) resolved to strengthen mass movement and party organisation and to build a Left and democratic alternative to the anti-people Congress and communal BJP in the state.

On January 28 afternoon, under a scorching sun, thousands of workers, peasants, agricultural workers, employees, students, youth and women marched in a procession, raising slogans, through the streets of Bellary, and reached EMS Nagar where a big public meeting was held.

Addressing the meeting, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and Kerala’s former chief minister E K Nayanar said because of the BJP led NDA government’s covert support to the communal forces, the very secular fabric of our nation is under threat. Unity of secular forces is a must to save the nation from this offensive. About the post-September 11 world scenario, he said all sorts of terrorism are dangerous and have to be fought; yet, imperialist terrorism is no alternative to fundamentalist terrorism.

While pursuing the anti-people policies initiated by the earlier Congress government, the BJP-led NDA government is also attempting to change the nation’s constitution to replace parliamentary democracy by a presidential form of governance. It is also attempting to communalise the whole cultural and educational scenario by introducing astrology courses in universities, changing history texts and nominating pro-RSS men to strategic positions in educational and research bodies. It is unabashed about receiving kickbacks even in defence deals, and is in no way behind the Congress in corrupt deals.

Even though the Congress is a secular party, its state government is pursuing the same policies as the union government, and is unleashing attacks on the toiling masses’ struggles against these policies. Nayanar said both the BJP and the Congress have to be fought by evolving a third alternative.

Polit Bureau members P Ramachandran and E Balanandan, state secretariat members G N Nagaraj and S Y Gurushanth, and Bellary district secretary U Basavaraj also addressed the meeting. State CPI(M) secretary S Surya Narayana Rao presided.

Inaugurating the delegates session on January 29, after M N Ugrappa hoisted the party flag, E Balanandan analysed the fast changing world scenario. He said it is the duty of all democratic forces to fight imperialist-driven globalisation to safeguard the people’s interests and save the nation. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Bush administration is utilising the situation for its hegemonic ends. The US unilaterally withdrew from the 1972 ABM treaty. World capitalism is undergoing a severe crisis, showing that a crisis-free capitalist society is impossible. Imperialist countries are trying to shift the burden of this crisis on to the third world nations through globalisation policies. But protest is also mounting against these policies throughout the world. We too have to fight these policies through united struggles. The CPI(M) has the task of advancing these struggles along with other democratic forces.

In this inaugural session, veteran freedom fighter B M Maralasiddaiah released a book titled Baduku Bandikane (Life in a Prison) written by state AIDWA president K Neela, about her jail experience after her imprisonment during a peasant struggle. Polit Bureau member P Ramachandran released two other booklets Samajawadada Guri and Bharathadalli Fascism, published by Adhyayana Prakashana.

The conference was attended by 220 delegates and 14 observers.

CPI(M) state secretary S Suryanarayana Rao introduced the draft political-organisational report. The report highlighted as to how the LPG policies being pursued by both the union and state governments have disastrously affected the industrial and agricultural sectors in the state and added to the woes of the people. More than 50,000 jobs have been cut in the central industrial undertakings. Many state PSUs are on the verge of closure; that is going to kill thousands of jobs. There is stagnation in industries.

The report pointed to the sad fact of 200 peasants committing suicide, starting from toor growing peasants to those growing chilly, potatoes, onions, paddy, coconut, arecanut, groundnut, maize, jowar and other crops, due to the price crash after liberalisation of imports, and the burden of loans. It also dealt with the effects of drought on agriculture, pauperisation of peasants, and increase in the number of agricultural labourers.

The report pointed out the state Congress government’s role in pushing the people into further troubles through power privatisation and power tariff hike, hike in school/college fees, water tariff hike and other onslaughts. In order to take a loan of about Rs 15000 crore from the World Bank and having signed an agreement for Rs 8820 crore for the mid-term fiscal plan, the state government is implementing all the World Bank conditionalities. It is privatising various sectors and has given concessions to the extent of Rs 7000 crore to investors. In its bid to make Bangalore a global destination for investment, it is busy in organising ‘world investors meets’ one after another, and has announced Rs 6287 crore tax concessions or postponement of collection of certain taxes to attract Rs 9923 crore investment. The Congress government claimed to attract Rs 20000 crore FDI per year, while the fact is that out of the Rs 19,921 crore FDI approved since 1991, only 387 projects worth Rs 6079.87 crore have started in the state.

The S M Krishna government is overriding all the departments by setting up ‘task forces’ for its computerisation spree. It is bent upon implementing the Haranahalli Ramaswamy administrative reforms commission’s report that has recommended downsizing of 85,000 state government jobs.

The state government is unleashing police terror and atrocities against the growing protests to the LPG policies by peasants, workers and others. This is evident from the firing and lathicharge on struggling peasants in Gulburga, the death of two peasants in police firing at Vitlenahalli, and the lathicharge on coffee growers. In order to suppress the growing movement, the government has promulgated the Karnataka Organised Crime Act (KOCA) and is preparing to implement the POTO. It is getting its police officers trained by American, Israeli and Scottish police officers.

The report underlined the erosion of BJP's base from one election to another, due to growing resentment against the BJP-led NDA government’s anti-people policies. It also highlighted the threat from the Sangh Parivar that is expanding its activities and attacking the Muslims and Christians throughout the state in order to regain the ground the BJP is losing. The melas the brigade held, its jathas to ‘liberate’ the Datta Peetha at Chikkamagalur, the offensive on the Muslims of Coorg on the excuse of a temple’s desecretion, triggering of riots during the celebration of VHP leader Ashok Singhal’s birthday at Hubli, and attempts to create war hysteria in the background of December 13 attack on parliament were moves in this very direction.

The report noted the growing atrocities on Dalits, the growth of casteism in society and the legitimacy given to it by the state government by taking caste into calculation in making appointments to various bodies and ministries.

The report pointed out the weaknesses in our mass and class movements, and the ways to rectify them. It laid stress on strengthening the party and the Left and democratic forces, so as to build a third alternative in the state.

60 delegates from various districts participated in the discussion, enriching the report with their experiences of intervention in diverse spheres. These interventions included those against the Sangh Parivar’s communal onslaughts in Coorg, Chikkamagalur, Bijapur, Mangalore and other parts of the state, in the peasant struggles at Gulburga, in the struggles on people’s issues in Kolar and Ramdurga, in working class struggles at Bangalore and Mysore, in agricultural workers’ struggles at Hangal, Gangavathi, Raichur and Bellary, and in the student movement against privatisation and fee hikes throughout the state. The draft report was adopted by the conference.

The conference passed resolutions on utilising water resources of state, industrial situation, intensive land reforms, housing problem, PDS, against the atrocities on Dalits and women, on social security for Anganwadi workers, on action against police officers responsible for the firing at Hejjala, on communalism, on recommendations of administrative reforms commission, against terrorism, war, POTO and KOCA. The new state committee will formulate a programme of action on these resolutions.

The conference elected a 37-member state committee, with 8 new entrants. The new state committee re-elected S Surya Narayan Rao as secretary, and 10 others as state secretariat members. The conference elected 9 delegates, 2 observers and 3 alternate delegates to the 17th party congress.

Delivering his valedictory address, P Ramachandran proposed to the conference to increase the party membership to 10,000 from the present 6574, which the delegates adopted with enthusiasm. Having listened to the deliberations of the conference, P Ramachandran appreciated the discussion and its spirit. He said strengthening the movement and the party organisation are not different tasks to be taken up by different committees; both must be taken up with equal priority and done simultaneously in order to build the party faster. He said the understanding that the party will develop of itself by forging mass movements is not correct. Comrades must consciously work to build the party organisation, along with mass movements and intervention. Ideological training of party members, regular publication of party literature and organs, immediate attention to the party organisation are of utmost priority. There is need of more regular attention to the movements in priority districts like Gulburga, Kolar, Bangalore, DK and Udupi, along with other parts of the state, through political campaigns and interventions.

The Bellary district committee and the reception committee were heartily greeted for hosting the conference successfully. Prior to the event, a seminar on alternative path of development was organised, where Sitaram Yechury presented a paper. A jeep jatha throughout the district was also organised. The people of Bellary made liberal donations to the conference fund.