TOWARDS 18TH PARTY CONGRESS

 Delhi Set To Witness Alternative Politics

A SERIES of cultural programmes, seminars, painting exhibitions and other multifarious activities are being organised in Delhi in the run up to the 18th Congress of the CPI(M) with the aim of “projecting the Left alternative to the communal and casteist politics, which has no place for the poor, dominating the Hindi-speaking region”. The programmes begin from March 9 with the flagging off of the Safdar Hashmi Jan Sanskritik Pahal  (people’s cultural initiative) by CPI(M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet from the Party headquarters, AKG Bhavan.

This was conveyed to the media at a press conference held on March 7, which was addressed by chairperson of the reception committee, Joginder Sharma, secretary P M S Grewal and vice chairperson, Brinda Karat. They said that they were receiving good response from the people of Delhi, particularly from the working class and middle classes, to the holding of the Party Congress here – which is a first one in the history of the Party in an Hindi-speaking region. They underscored the fact that to effect a fundamental shift in Indian politics, the Left, particularly the CPI(M), has to be strengthened and that their effort in organising these programmes would be in that direction. They appealed to the people to make success the various multifarious activities planned in the run up to the Party Congress.

The 18th Congress of the CPI(M) will be held in Delhi from April 6-11, 2005. The venue of the Congress is Talkatora Indoor Stadium, which will be named Comrade E K Nayanar Nagar for the period of the Congress, after the CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and former chief minister of Kerala who passed away last year. A mass rally will be held on April 11 at Ramilila Maidan, which will be named Major Jaipal Singh Maidan, after the legendary freedom fighter who was the secretary of the Delhi state committee and central committee member of the CPI(M).

A reception committee comprising of 102 members had been constituted in November 2004 for the 18th Party Congress. It has been functioning through 17 sub-committees to oversee the preparations for the Congress.

The reception committee has decided to organise multifarious activities in the run up to the Party Congress, the details of which are as follows:

1. Safdar Hashmi Jan Sanskritik Pahal: Cultural evenings would be organised in 15 localities in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida and Faridabad, from March 9-18, 2005. Theatre groups, dance troupes, choirs, mime groups and poets from across the country would be performing in these cultural shows.

2. Major Jaipal Singh Sangoshthi Saptah: A week-long programme of seminars in Hindi would be organised from March 17-23, 2005 at V P House lawns. This would be a unique occasion where political activists, leaders of mass movements, writers, cultural activists and academics would come together to deliberate upon the different problems faced by the people of Hindi region. The main theme of the seminar week is “Hindi Kshetra: Taqlifen Aur Mukti ke Raste” (Problems in Hindi region and paths to emancipation). The seminar week would conclude with a cultural festival to be held on the evening of March 23, the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.

3. Painting Exhibition:  A painting exhibition on the theme “People in Progress” would be held at the Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, Siri Fort Institutional Area from March 23-31, 2005. Part of the proceeds from the sale of paintings in the exhibition would accrue to the reception committee. Several eminent painters have confirmed their participation in the exhibition.

4. Seminar on Imperialism, Sovereignty and Democracy: A three-day seminar on “Imperialism, Sovereignty and Democracy” would be held from April 3-5, 2005 at Constitution Club, V P House, Progressive intellectuals and leaders of the Left movement from India and abroad would be participating in the seminar.

 (INN)