11TH STATE CONFERENCE OF DELHI PARTY

Resolve To Capitalise On Growth Opportunities

THE eleventh conference of the Delhi state committee of the CPI(M) was held on November 28-29, 2004 in Comrade E K Nayanar Hall, Constitution Club, New Delhi. The venue was named after the veteran Communist leader who passed away recently. The conference began with flag hoisting by Mahendra Singh, state secretariat member, and offering of floral tributes by the delegates at the martyrs column.

The conference elected a presidium comprising S B Bharadwaj, Brahmjit Singh and Asha Lata to conduct the proceedings of the conference.

Prakash Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, inaugurated the conference and outlined the challenges before the Party in the current national and international situation. Referring to the changed political situation he said that, “we support the UPA government at the centre, but that does not mean that we will support its anti-people policies.” He likened the role of the Left to that of the “sentinels of the people” vis-à-vis the government. He noted with satisfaction that the Party had succeeded in achieving its three main objectives: ensuring the defeat of the BJP-led government in the Lok Sabha polls in May; installation of a secular government in its place, and increasing  the strength of the Party and the Left in parliament.

However, Karat warned that this situation should not lead to any complacency. On the contrary, unless the Left was vigilant, the people’s interests could not be safeguarded. He noted that while the conditions were today more favourable for the growth of the Left than they had been an year ago, it was up to the Party to “seize the time” and launch struggles to increase the strength of the Party on the political, ideological, and organisational fronts.

Karat also talked about the international situation that has seen an increase in the aggressiveness of the imperialist camp under the leadership of the USA as well as increased struggles against it by varied forces the world over. The valiant resistance of the Iraqi people to the brutal occupation of their land and the resurgence of the Left in South America are examples of this, he said.

P M S Grewal, state secretary presented the report on behalf of the state committee before the conference. The report noted the defeats suffered by the BJP in municipal, state and general elections but warned against any complacency vis-à-vis the communal RSS-BJP which have a traditional base in Delhi. The report also criticised the anti-people role of the Congress state government as reflected in its policies directly inimical to the interests of workers, other poor sections and the middle classes. Major aspects of this include denial of minimum wages and other legal rights to the workers, increasing closure of industries, rising unemployment, contractualisation of big sections of the workforce, continuing demolition of slums and their dispersal to the outskirts of the city, privatisation and enhancement of rates of civic facilities like power, water, sanitation, the dismal state of public education, health etc.

Building campaigns and struggles around these issues should form the core of the Party’s direction of work over the next three years, suggested the report. So long as the BJP-led government ruled at the centre, the Congress state government had the excuse that an unfriendly centre was preventing it from implementing its pro-people plans. However, as the UPA government has taken charge at the centre, even this excuse is no longer valid, and the Congress state government will soon discover that the anger of the people is directed towards it. The report called upon the Party to sharpen its struggles against the state government and rally the people.         

The report made a self-critical review of the work done by the Party and mass organisations in the state on issues related to imperialism, communalism, liberalisation, policies of the state government and mass issues. While positively noting increased activities on these issues, the report underlined the need for qualitative improvement in the independent initiative and intervention of the Party at different levels to realise the possibilities prevalent in the changed situation.

The report also took positive note of the increase in Party membership since the previous conference, though the Party continues to be a small force in the state. The strength of the women, youth and students fronts has grown in this period. On the teachers’ front as well, there has been some growth. However, the trade union front has been faced with several difficulties arising out of both organisational weaknesses and the offensive of liberalisation. Strengthening of the trade union front is essential for the future growth, interventionist capacity and militancy of the Party. Hence the report called upon the Party to take up the task of building a strong trade union movement.

A total of 122 delegates and observers including 26 women attended the state conference. Fifty-three delegates participated in the discussion on the general secretary’s report. They related their experience to the prevailing situation at the national and state level and the policies being pursued by the state and central governments. They also made several important suggestions about how the Party can advance in today’s circumstances.

After the reply to the debate by the secretary, the report was adopted unanimously. The conference also adopted six resolutions on demands of the working class, against communalism, against the oppression of dalits, on the condition of women, on civic amenities in Delhi and on the state of education and health.

The conference elected a 25 member state committee. It includes 6 new entrants, including 3 women comrades. The newly elected state committee elected a 7-member secretariat comprising Jogendra Sharma, S B Bhardwaj, Mohanlal, P M S Grewal, Baldev Singh, Brahmjit Singh and Vijender Sharma. P M S Grewal was elected as state secretary.

In his concluding remarks, Prakash Karat congratulated the delegates for enriching the report through their interventions and expressed the hope that the Party in Delhi would be able to achieve significant advance on the basis of the direction of work decided upon by the conference. He called upon the Delhi state committee to utilise the opportunity presented by the forthcoming 18th Party Congress, scheduled to be held in New Delhi in April 2005 for going among largest possible sections of the people to propagate the alternative policies and line of the Party among them.