Report On The Jammu Regional Conference Of CPI(M)

THE two-day regional conference of the CPI(M) Jammu region concluded on December 27 with deliberations on various political and economic issues facing the state. The conference was presided over by veteran communist leader Bishan Das and was attended by Party Jammu and Kashmir state secretary, M Y Tarigami and senior leader, O N Trishal.

The political and organisational report was presented to the conference, which was followed by a general discussion. Delegates participating in the discussion expressed their concern over the grave problems confronting the people of the state. They urged upon the state and central governments to take decisive measures for providing basic amenities to the people.

There was a detailed discussion over the announcement of lifting ban on recruitment made by the prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh during his recent visit to the state. It was demanded that the recruitment process should be immediately started to fill up the vacancies in the state and central departments and a proper mechanism should be evolved to address the problem. The delegates demanded that the educated unemployed youth must be paid monthly allowance till they are recruited.

The conference expressed its deep concern over the frequent cuts in power supply due to which people of the entire state are subjected to inconvenience. It demanded the government to ensure smooth power supply in the state and also set up more hydraulic projects so as to utilise the abundant water resources.

The conference called upon Party cadres to prepare themselves to fight the divisive forces which are hell-bent to divide the state on communal lines. It also called upon the people of the Jammu region, who stood by secular and democratic forces, to fight back the communal elements and maintain communal harmony during times of deep crises.

In his speech M Y Tarigami urged upon India and Pakistan to provide momentum to the ongoing peace process in the region and take concrete and meaningful measures for strengthening this process. Tarigami asserted that the people of the entire state are the prime victims of the Indo-Pak confrontation and that the united efforts of the entire people of the state alone can open up opportunities for reducing the sufferings they were undergoing since long.

Tarigami asked the state government to strictly adhere to its common minimum programme from which it was deviating. He criticised it for not taking serious note of the problems the people of the state were facing in all the regions. Charging the administration of being unresponsive to the problems of the people, Tarigami said corruption has become rampant at every level. He decried the repeated claims of development as empty rhetoric.

Various other delegates, in the course of their speeches made valuable suggestions for making the Party an effective instrument for the advancement of democratic struggle of the working people. After including these suggestions, the report was unanimously adopted by the conference.

The conference unanimously adopted resolutions on violation of human rights; relief to border migrants; unemployment; conducting local bodies elections on non-party basis; and setting up of the more hydro-electric projects in the state.

The conference at the end elected a nine-member regional committee with Sham Prasad Kesar as its secretary and Bishan Das, K K Bakhshi, Om Prakash, Kishore Kumar, Vakil Vaid, Dharam Singh and Javaid Zargar as members of the regional committee.