People's Democracy

TRIPURA

DYFI 13^th Tripura state Conference

Haripada Das

The Democratic Youth Federation of India�s 13^th state conference ended with a vow to save the country from the imperialist onslaught and has given a clarion call to the youth of the state to render a fillip to the struggle for forging a third alternative at the centre. As a part of the DYFI�s all India call to observe �Save India� day through one lakh jathas all over the country, Tripura youth will organise jathas at all 146 local areas on March 23, 2009, the martyrdom day of Shahid Bhagat Singh. At the same time, the youth conference called upon the people to overwhelmingly vote for the Left Front candidates in the state which will contribute to form a non-Congress, non-BJP government at the centre.

The state conference was held on February 22-24, 2009 that began with a mammoth youth rally at Stable ground, Agartala on February 22. Apart from DYFI and TYF state leaders, the rally was addressed by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and state chief minister Manik Sarkar, DYFI all India president, Srirama Krishnan and general secretary, Tapas Sinha. In his maiden speech, Manik Sarkar said, emergence of a third alternative is the need of the hour at the moment. We have the long experience of Congress rule which cannot abandon its policy of serving the national bourgeoisie and the imperialists at the cost of the toil of the millions of poeple. BJP, having the same economic policy though ruled the country for a shorter span, is more dangerous for its communalism and Hindutva ideology, which threatens our national integration. It is crystal clear that neither of the parties can serve the common man�s interest. So emergence of a third alternative is a need of the hour, Manik Sarkar explained.

The youth masses from all over the state poured into Agartala town traveling by vehicles and train. The youth of suburban areas came in processions with banners and DYFI flags in their hands. They flooded the rally site chanting slogans and airing the message of far bigger struggles in the coming days.

Explaining the roots of the ongoing devastating recession in the US and other capitalist countries, Manik Sarkar said, corporate sectors� race for profits and super profits, devoid of state intervention is one of the key reasons of the worldwide financial crisis. So far its affect on our country is concerned, Manik Sarkar said, its ruinous affect did not engulf Indian economy so much, because of the ceaseless resistance of the Left parties against handing over of the important public sectors like bank, insurance, telecom and other PSUs to the private hands. So it is the Left parties which can claim credit for saving the country from total affect of the worldwide financial crisis, he asserted.

Referring to the incidents of terrorist attacks in various parts of the country including that of the Mumbai attack on November 26, 2008, the chief minister said, it is ironical that after the Mumbai attack, while the Congress at the centre seeks all parties cooperation to tackle this problem, here in Tripura they are allied with a party which is known as a patron of the outlawed extremist organisations, which caused havoc in the state for decades. Our three-pronged measures in tackling the extremists, i.e. ideological campaign, pressure by security forces and developmental programme was accepted by all concerned as a most effective one. But we hardly see Congress carrying on any ideological campaign against terrorists, Manik Sarkar said.

Addressing the youth rally, DYFI president, Srirama Krishnan said, it is only the DYFI that is carrying on the glorious anti-imperialist struggle which was the tradition of the freedom movement of our country. It is regrettable that our ruling parties are mortgaging the country at the feet of the same imperialists. Indian youth shall never allow such shameful subservience, he said. The general secretary of DYFI, Tapas Sinha hailed the spectacular progress and development of Tripura in all spheres under Left Front government. Alerting about the danger of India becoming a junior partner of US strategic programme, Tapas Sinha lambasted the prime minister Manmohan Singh for his sycophancy towards Mr Bush who is hated by the world people and even by the people of his own country.

Earlier, at 2.30 pm, the youth conference was formally inaugurated by hoisting the DYFI flag and paying homage at the martyr�s column at Harkishan Singh Surjeet Nagar (Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhavan) in Agartala in the presence of the central leaders, guest leaders from Nagaland, delegates and hundreds of general youth. The state president Tapan Das hoisted the flag.

In the evening, the first session of the conference was started at Dinesh Debbarma Manch (Dinesh Debbarma, an outstanding Ganamukti Parishad and CPI(M) leader passed away in 2006) . The political organisational report was presented by Tapas Datta, secretary of the organisation. With a brief mention of the international and national situation, Tapas Datta in his deliberation highlighted the adverse effect of world finance crisis particularly on the youth section of the country. At a time when crores of workers are losing their jobs worldwide, with the downsizing policy adopted by the central government, inevitably the present limited scope of employment also will be further reduced. Regarding state situation, the report admired the independent alternative policy and programme of the Left Front government which are formulated safeguarding the interests of all sections of poor people. The Left Front government has made a major breakthrough in providing its people basic amenities like food, home, education, drinking water, health services, communication, etc. But the state has many more things to achieve, the report said. In its organisational part, the report dealt with weaknesses of functioning of various committees, movement programmes, political programmes and programmes related to youth problems undertaken in the interim period, social activities, ideological activities, membership and fund collection and some wrong trends that engulfed a section of youth. The report also proposed a movement programme and an organisational programme before the conference. The membership of DYFI in the state in 2008 stands at 4,57,307 against 3,71,879 in 2005, the report informed.

CPI(M) state secretary Bijan Dhar while addressing the conference said, our main objective is to bring about a socialist revolution, transforming the present society to a socialist society. This requires a long drawn ceaseless struggle of the majority people with heightened political consciousness. But immediate task of the hour is to forge a third alternative, an alternative not merely an electoral alliance, but a platform of all forces which will carry on relentless struggle for protecting national integrity, preserving the secular fabric of the country, resisting devastating effect of the globalisation policy pursued by the centre, pursuing non-aligned policy and addressing the problems of crores of unemployed people and miserable plight of the peasantry of the country. Evidently, neither Congress nor BJP has any room in this platform.

Bijan Dhar said, with the bubbles of capitalist development having burst up, it is time to herald the message of socialism which is the only alternative capable of averting the vices of capitalist system. Youth section must take this responsibility, Bijan Dhar urged.

On February 23, delegates discussion began. Forty eight delegates took part in the discussion on the political report. The delegates put their constructive views on different points. They highlighted the need of stronger movement on the issues such as problems of self help groups, effective implementation of the self-reliance schemes, indifferent attitude of the banks in lending to the youth, reviving of the defunct cooperative societies, extension of rail from Agartala to Subroom, empowerment of women, universalisation of PDS and the spiraling price rise squeezing the common men. At the same time, the delegates also squarely criticised against some deviating attitude of a section of the youth in respect of adhering to the superstition, taking dowry in marriage, unhealthy race for consumerism, staying indifferent to the incidents of bride torture and bride killing, weakness in taking anti-drug programme and organising blood donation camps, rendering equal status to the women and weakness in promoting women in proper places in the organisation.

Hailing the valued discussion of the delegates, secretary Tapas Datta urged the youth section of the state to actively involve themselves in proper implementation of the Forest Right Act in the state, to ensure victory of the Left candidates in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, in the struggle for extension of rail line up to Subroom, a 10 point charter of demands relating to the problems of youth, unemployment and all round development of the state.

Among the fraternal delegates, Narayan Kar, secretary, All India Kisan Sabha Tripura state committee, Radhacharan Debbarma, president TYF central Committee, Nirmal Biswas, secretary SFI state committee and Krishna Rakshit on behalf of the AIDWA, greeted the conference and expressed solidarity. Three fraternal delegates from Nagaland also attended the conference.

In the concluding session, DYFI general secretary Tapas Sinha said, the imperialist world will try to unburden themselves from the crisis of recession through blatant aggression. Our government at the centre is an obedient follower of the dictates of imperialism. On the other hand, the communal and fundamentalist forces are trying to spread hatred. At this juncture, our robust duty is to draw the large sections of youth, who are still out of the organisational fold, into the democratic movement. DYFI should chalk out programme to this effect.

Apart from condolence resolution, altogether nine resolutions denouncing capitalism and in support of socialism as the only alternative, demanding generation of more employment opportunities, against price hike and demanding universalisation of PDS, resolving to fight against prevalent immorality and cultural degradation, in demand of conversion of narrow gauge to broad gauge line upto Agartala, in support of industrialisation, for ideological campaign against torture on women, on financial upbringing of the self-help-groups, in support of Left Front government and against centre�s deprivation to the state, etc.

In the last session, a proposal of 79 member state committee with 39 new entrants, was moved in the conference, which it passed unanimously. The newly elected state committee in its first meeting formed a 20 member state secretariat where Tapas Datta and Amal Chakraborty were elected as president and secretary respectively. Former president Tapan Das opted to be relieved because he crossed the age limit to continue in the youth front. Both of them were greeted by the conference with loud cheers. Being assigned with new responsibility, Amal Chakraborty appealed the youth to make the �Bharat Bachao� movement a grand success in the state.