People's Democracy

CPI(M) Odisha  State Conf Calls For

Strengthening Left movement

                                                                                                       Dusmanta Das

THE people of Paralakhemundi of Gajapati  district in Odisha  for the first time on November 18,  2011, witnessed a huge mass of people, mostly tribals and women, who  passed through the city’s  thoroughfare carrying red flags, festoons and chanting  slogans. The 19th state conference of the Party was held on November 18-20. The open session was addressed by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury, Central Committee member Surya Kanta Mishra, state secretary Janardan Pati , secretariat member Jagannath Mishra  and others. L Ramgopal Rao presided over the meeting .

Inaugurating the delegate session, Sitaram Yechury said that world over a sea change is taking place. Imperialist globalisation which is reflected through the neo liberal economic policy has failed to solve the problems of the people. The analysis of the CPI(M)  after the debacle of socialism in Soviet Union, that USA’s imperialist aggressiveness will increase the world over has been proved correct. Concentration of capital is taking place in a big way. Newer methods are being adopted to get super profits from this capital. The first feature of this imperialist neo- liberal globalisation is the merger of finance capital and industrial capital. It is mobile and for its profit, it does not want any sort of restriction on its movement from one country to another. In the era of neo-liberalisation, the size of international finance capital has increased manyfold. Before the world economic crisis broke out in 2007 -08, the volume of international finance capital was 600 trillion dollars, whereas world GDP was only 50 trillion dollars. The second feature is outsourcing production ie, it wants to shift the production to countries where cheap labour is available. The third feature of it is to control the financial sector of various developing countries in order to perpetuate its exploitation and reap profits. Keeping this in view, the economics and politics converge together. Thereafter privatisation of public sector units, government departments and public utilities has begun. In spite of all these things, economic crisis has accentuated in USA and European countries.  Greece is facing bankruptcy. Situation in Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Japan has worsened. The burden of the crisis has been put on the shoulders of common people and workers to which protest actions have developed in various countries. “Occupy Wall Street” movement has developed in 960 cities all over the world which has posed a challenge to the very capitalist system. And liberation from capitalist system can be achieved only through Socialism.

But capitalism will not collapse automatically. It has to be uprooted by people’s movement for which political action is needed. For this we have to muster political will, Yechury said. Today various socialist countries are facing the imperialist globalisation by resorting to various economic reforms suitable to their concrete conditions.

Coming to India, Yechury said that our ruling class through its political parties prefers to be a junior partner of imperialist USA. It accepts USA dictates to cut subsidies in agriculture although USA and Western developed countries continue to provide huge subsidies to farmers. India has accepted the US dictates to sign civil nuclear deal jeopardising our own people’s interest. The neo-liberal economic policy has increased the gap between the rich and poor. Tax concessions to the tune of Rs 5.2 lakh crores have been given to big capitalists in the last two years while the government has preferred to squeeze subsidies meant for the farmers and common people. Price rise and unemployment have been on the rise. The nexus between politicians-bureaucrats-capitalists and traders has been the main source of increasing corruption and scandals. To add to it, communalism and social oppression is creating hindrance to growing people’s movement against all such anti -people policies.

He called upon the delegates to overcome the weaknesses, create a sense of confidence in the minds of the people by building up movements on the issues being faced by the people, that  it is the CPI(M) that is fighting against economic and social  oppression and that it is possible to fight out these evils under the red flag.  The economic and social issues are to be clubbed together to build up a powerful class struggle, he said.

Janardan Pati placed the draft political organisational report. 58 delegates participated in the discussion on the report. Janardan Pati summed up the debate and the report was passed unanimously.

Resolutions on strengthening the mass movement, against poverty and price rise and on food security, against corruption, on social issues, on land acquisition, on solidarity with the people of West-Bengal, against TMC-Maoist-Congress hoodlooms’ attack on Left parties and its mass organisations were passed.

The conference gave a clarion call to organize ideological campaign against imperialism, communalism , social oppression and ultra left, anti-Marxist ideology, to mobilise people against neo- liberal economic policy, against price rise, unemployment and for minimum daily wage of Rs 200 and for an increase in old age, widow   and disabled allowance, on the issue of land to landless and home stead land and  home to homeless people, for ensuring the rights of tribals over forest land, to campaign against state government’s corrupt activities in land, mines and dal scam. The conference has decided to broaden the Left movement in the state on common issues. The conference came to the conclusion that to achieve  all these, the Party has to broaden its base, build up strong  movements mobilising people from various strata and educating the comrades in Marxist, Leninist ideology. 

The conference elected 29-member state committee with one vacancy. Three members are newly elected. Janardan Pati was re-elected unanimously as the secretary of the state unit. The conference also elected seven delegates and  three alternate delegates to the 20th  Party congress. Santosh Das has been elected as editor of the state Party’s weekly Samyabadee.

Nirupam Sen, Polit Bureau member of the Party, who was observing the conference for three days, addressing the delegates has called upon them to learn from the mistakes of the erstwhile socialist countries in the past, to study the concrete situation of our country and the state, to analyse the role of various political parties, to understand their role in the People’s Democratic Revolution from our programmatic point of view  and to build up a strong, disciplined, ideologically strong party to discharge the role  historically based on the CPI(M).  

Surya Kanta Mishra, Central Committee member, made the concluding remarks that  Party cadres, members and sympathisers must unite the people on the issues confronting them and build up strong movement to make  CPI(M) stronger in Odisha which is a must to face the onslaught of the ruling class.

The conference was conducted by a presidium consisting of Sivaji Patnaik, Jagananth Mishra, Kalu Panda, Harihar Das and Salomy Minz.  217 delegates out of 231 and 35 observers attended the conference. The credential report was submitted by the convener of the committee and was passed unanimously.