People's Democracy

ANDHRA PRADESH

CPI(ML) New Democracy  Leaders And Cadres Join CPI(M)  

M Venugopala Rao

SEVERAL leaders and cadres belonging to the  CPI(ML) New Democracy and its mass organisations – IFTU, GLBKS, PYL, PDSU and POW – resigned and joined the CPI(M). After working in the New Democracy party, they came to the conclusion that its policies and practice were not only not contributing to the movements of the people and the working class, but also damaging the united movements of the Left in Andhra Pradesh.  New Democracy was not even willing to call the 9 Left parties as Communist parties or Left parties, except simply as “9 parties”.

Having worked in the  New Democracy for the last three decades, they differed with its policies and organisational methods and resigned to the party and mass organisations in April of this year.  Bojja Bikshamaiah, who was a member of the state committee of New Democracy and state president of IFTU and GLBKS, and other leaders announced their decision to join the CPI(M) at a media conference in Hyderabad on July 10. They were welcomed into the CPI(M) by its state secretariat member, Y Venkateswara Rao.

Along with  Bikshamaiah,  Y Yakaiah, Karimnagar and Adilabad district committee member of the New Democracy, state committee member of IFTU and state vice president of GLBKS, B Pandu, Peddapalli division committee member of the party and secretary of GLBKS, G Babanna,  M A Pasha, B Asok, K Sunil, all sub division committee members and leaders of GLBKS,  M  Chandra, Peddapalli division president and K Sadguna, vice president (and municipal ward councillor) and G Sasikala, Tirupati district secretary of  POW,  D Sampath, Peddapalli division president of PYL Peddapalli division vice president of PDSU, D Nambaiah, president of CNC and S Raju, Mandal president of Kamanpur joined the CPI(M). 

They explained that they wanted to serve the revolutionary movement in the country by joining the CPI(M), which has been playing a crucial role in the country’s politics and  leading the Left movement as a beacon to the toiling masses.  “Communist Party of India (Marxist) is a national party fighting against the basic problems of the people of the country – poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, inhuman caste system etc. Correctly applying the Marxist-Leninist theory to the conditions of India, the Party is working with a true understanding of the class character of the Indian ruling classes and the stage of revolution.  Even when socialism suffered setbacks in the world, the Party stood in the forefront in giving confidence to the Communist ranks and taking the movement forward. Building strong Left movement in the states of Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, and implementing alternative policies even within the present constitutional limitations, the CPI(M) stands as a guide.  It  is the Party struggling relentlessly for a Left alternative, bringing all the Left parties on to a single platform”, they explained to the media. 

Referring to the role played by the CPI(M) in the struggles against power tariff hike, and of  anganwadi workers, Singareni collieries workers, APSRTC employees, besides its struggles against the anti-people policies of the central and state governments and the World Bank and for protection of the rights of the people and the working class,  they stated that the Party had become the central point for the Left unity and broader movements. 

Having discussed with the state leaders  of the CPI(M) during the last two months, they said they decided to join the Party. They told that they had a following of about 5000 Singareni workers in Ramagundam area and in their mass organisations in Karimnagar district.

In Adilabad district also, leaders and cadres from the CPI(ML) New Democracy have been joining the CPI(M) since February of this year.  Kanigaram Rajanna, who was the leader of the underground armed squad for ten years, member of district committee of the Party and former president of the district Rythu Cooly Sangham (agricultural workers union), was among the leaders who joined the CPI(M).

Member of the division committee, K Asok, and members of sub division committee, Narsayya and  Lakshman, who were also the district office bearers of the Sangham for the last 15-20 years, also joined the CPI(M).   Under their leadership, nearly 2000 followers in Jannaram, Dandepalli, Luxettipet, Kadem, Khanapur and Utnur Mandals joined the CPI(M) and its mass organisations. On the occasion of their joining the CPI(M), rallies were taken out at Jannaram in which more than one thousand cadres and followers participated. On July 7, Pasuluti Venkanna, Khanapur sub division president of the Sangham, joined the CPI(M).  Majority of the members of the Mancherial town committee of New Democracy and district president and secretary of PYL, C S Satyanarayana and Andhe Vijay, respectively, district secretary of Mahila Sangham, Manga, besides important cadres T M Satyanarayana, Peddulu and  Edla Ravi, joined the CPI(M).   It is significant that most of these leaders and cadres in Karimnagar and  Adilabad districts who joined the CPI(M) are local people.