ANDAMAN & NICOBAR PARTY CONFERENCE

CPI(M) Resolves To Broaden The Party Base In The Islands

 K G Das

THE sixth conference of the Andaman & Nicobar state committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was held at Port Blair on November 27-28, 2004. The conference was held at the Hinterland Seamen Union Auditorium, Phoenix Bay, Port Blair. The venue of the conference was named as Comrade N Vasudevan Nagar in memory of the former secretary of the CPI(M) state committee while the dais of the conference was named as Comrade B L Banerjee Manch, in memory of the first convenor of the CPI(M) A&N state committee.

The conference began with the hoisting of the Party flag at the venue of the conference on November 27, 2004 by Hannan Mollah, CPI(M) central committee member and member of parliament. Leaders, delegates, observers and others paid floral tributes to the martyrs at a specially erected Martyrs memorial column. 

Inaugurating the conference, Hannan Mollah explained the current international and national situation to the delegates and the importance of the holding Party conferences at various levels. He said that the CPI(M), unlike other parties, does not impose any leadership in the Party and its leadership, right from branch to central committee and Polit Bureau is elected by the party members at its respective conference. He said that in every state and union territories conferences are being held in the run up to the 18th CPI(M) Party Congress, scheduled to be held in Delhi in April, 2005.

Referring to the slaughter of Iraqi people by the US imperialist forces, Hannan Mollah said that the American imperialism has adopted a new technique to attack sovereign countries by branding them as pro-terrorist and of possessing weapons of mass destruction. He cited the case of North Korea, Cuba, Iran, etc in this regard. He said that the US imperialism is a threat to the under-developed and developing countries.

Referring to the shameful surrender by the previous BJP-led NDA government before the US threats, he said that the country’s economic policies are being dictated by the American imperialism through the triumvirate of World Bank, IMF and WTO. He blasted the Vajpayee government for selling public sector units, including those running on profit, throwing thousands of workers on to the streets. He also criticised the BJP for injecting communal venom in the country by raising Mandir-Masjid issues.

Referring to the role of the CPI(M) and other Left parties, Hannan Mollah said that the tactics adopted by the Party in the last general election to defeat the communal forces and to increase maximum number for the left forces in the Parliament were successful.

Earlier, H N Parial, chairman of the reception committee, welcomed the delegates, observers, leaders from mainland and other invitees in the inaugural session. A presidium comprising Tapan Bepari and Sobha Rani Mazumdar conducted the conference. A total of 50 delegates and observers, representing units all over the islands, attended the conference.

Gautam Deb, minister in the Bengal LF government and in charge of the Party in the islands, also attended the conference.

After the inaugural session, K G Das, convenor, Andaman and Nicobar state organising committee of the party presented the report detailing international, national situation and the scenario in the islands besides the functioning of the Party and its mass organisations in the islands.

The next day, on November 28, thirteen comrades representing various units participated in the discussion on the report. The lively discussion would prove fruitful for the functioning of the party in future. K G Das, convenor, replied to the discussion.

The conference adopted a total of 27 resolutions on various issues relating to the islanders. By a resolution moved by Tapan Bepari, the state conference demanded that statehood should be granted to Andaman and Nicobar Islands with a legislative assembly and a council of ministers for the participation of the people in the governance and for the overall development of these islands. The meeting noted that even the Pradesh Council, which was granted by the erstwhile Janata Party government in 1979, was abolished by the Congress(I) government in 1994, leaving the administration of the islands completely to the hands of bureaucrats.

Through another resolution moved by B Chandrachoodan, the state conference demanded the UPA government to shun the anti-people and anti-working class economic policies aggressively pursued by the previous NDA government.

By another resolution, the state conference expressed concern over the increasing corruption in the government administration in the islands. It noted that allegations of corruption against the former lieutenant governor and other lower level officials are not being probed despite the fact that a chain comprising corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and contractors was visible behind all the so-called developmental activities in the islands. The conference noted with concern the corruption and malpractices in the panchayati raj institutions, particularly in the zilla parishad. Money earned through illegal means is being used for influencing members/councillors in the zilla parishad and Port Blair municpal council. The resolution demanded that a through probe may be conducted into the affairs of the Port Blair municipal council and zilla parishad during the last nine years.

Through another resolution, moved by R Pious D’Silva, the state conference observed that the Port Blair municipal council has utterly failed to provide the basic amenities to the people living in the Port Blair town. The conference noted that collection and disposal of waste in the town, lack of sufficient drinking water supply, insufficient footpaths, unhygienic condition of the town, etc are causing concern to the people and said that illegal construction is going on unchecked. The conference expressed concerned over the construction of a large number of shopping complexes and shops by the municipal council and its allotment on extraneous considerations. The resolution demanded that the corruption prevailing in the municipal council should also be probed into.

The state conference ended with the election of a new 18-member state organising committee with K G Das as convenor. A seven-member state secretariat was also elected.

At the end, addressing the delegates session, Gautam Deb called upon the Party leaders and workers to remain united to fight against corruption and communal forces in the islands besides taking up various problems of the islanders.

A procession was taken out from the venue of the conference which culminated at the Tiranga Park where a public meeting was held, which was presided over by H N Parial and addressed by Hannan Mollah, Tapan Bepari, B Chandrachoodan and K G Das.