People's Democracy

ORISSA

State Convention on Food Security Calls for Massive Rally

Dusmanta Kumar Das

FOLLOWING the August 28 call of four Left parties, viz the CPI(M), CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP, to organise state level conventions on the issues of price rise, drought and food security, there was organised  a state level convention at the IDCOL Auditorium on September 24 in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The organisers were the CPI(M), CPI and Forward Bloc as the RSP has no state unit in Orissa. The auditorium was packed with the cadres of the three Left parties, with the CPI(M)�s mobilisation for the convention being the maximum.

A presidium consisting of Sivaji Patnaik of the CPI(M), Abhay Sahu of the CPI and Santosh Patnaik of the FB conducted the convention. On behalf of the presidium, Sivaji Patnaik introduced the resolution which formed the basis for discussion. The convention demanded  unversalisation of the public distribution system, provision of 35 kg of rice and wheat at Rs two per kg, continuance of Antodaya and Annapurna poverty alleviation schemes, subsidised provision of dal (pulse), sugar, edible oil and kerosene through PDS, legislation on the right to work, an end to forward trading in food and other essential commodities, dehoarding and strict action against black marketeers and hoarders, strict implementation of the NREGA, withdrawal of increases in the prices of petrol and diesel, declaration of deficient rain areas as drought affected, waiver of water tax and agricultural loans in drought affected areas, grant of pattas for forest land to tribal and forest dwellers, and provision of homestead plots to landless families, among other things.

Speakers from the three political parties and several mass organisations representing the workers, peasants, student, youth and women deliberated on the draft resolution. CPI(M) state secretary Janardan Pati and state secretariat member Santosh Das, D Nayak (CPI) and B B Tarai MP, Sarat Ranasing (FB), and leaders of the mass organisation leaders addressed the convention.

The convention decided to organise a massive state rally on November 24 at Bhubaneswar --- in front of the state assembly --- on the issues mentioned above. Local level joint conventions will be organised as preparation for the success of the state rally.

STATE LEVEL

PARTY SCHOOL

The CPI(M) organised a state level party school at Cuttack from October 10 to 12, 2009. the party�s state committee members, district committee and district secretariat members, local committee secretaries, women district committee members and state fraction committee convenors the three-day party school. Their total number was 131. The party�s senior state secretariat member, Sivaji Patnaik, was the principal of the school.

On the opening day, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat took the class on the strategy, tactics, the political resolution of the 18th party congress, review of the Lok Sabha elections and the future tasks. Central Committee member Suryakanta Mishra conducted the class on the Maoist threat. Other subjects taken up in the school were �party organisation,� �the present situation in Orissa and our tasks,� �the world economic crisis and its impact in India� and �the party and the mass organisations.� These were taken by Janardan Pati, Sivaji Patnaik, Dusmanta Das and Jagannath Mishra respectively.

Finally, on the concluding day, the state committee asked the lower units to hoist the party flag and organise meetings at the local level on October 17. The idea was to celebrate the foundation day of the Communist Party of India, as it was on this day in 1920 that the party was formed in Tashkent. The state committee also called for organisation of local level protest demonstrations throughout the state against the attacks on tribals at Godibali (in Chandaka area of Bhubaneswar) by the nexus of the land mafia, builders and politicians; to mobilise various sections on the issue of price rise, food security, drought, BPL cards, rights of the tribal people over forest land and land to the landless, and preparations to make the state level rally programme on November 24 a grand success.

Special thanks were given to the Cuttack district committee for organising the state party school in the city.