People's Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
No.
08
February 19, 2012
|
Vol. XXXVI
No.
08 February 19, 2012 |
SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION
OF CPI(M) TRIPURA STATE CONFERENCE
Work With Full Vigour
towards Forming the Seventh Left Front Government
Haripada Das
THE twentieth state
conference of the
CPI(M) in Tripura ended with a
determined vow towards formation of the Left Front
government for the seventh term and gave a
clarion call to the Party workers, sympathisers and the people of the
state to
lay fullest thrust from now on for the next assembly elections, an
important
political struggle scheduled to be held in the beginning of the next
year. The
conference also emphasised on the consolidation of the achievements
gained so
far, both, in Party organisation as well as administrative fields and
carrying
those forward for bigger successes.
The conference was held on January 29 - February 1, 2012 at Baidyanath
Majumder Nagar (Agartala Town Hall), named after a stalwart Communist
leader
and former Party state secretary, late Baidyanath Majumder. The
conference was
formally commenced with the hoisting of red flag by Party general
secretary Prakash
Karat and attended by many Party leaders and delegates including
nonagenarian
freedom fighter Chitta Chanda, Polit Bureau member Manik Sarkar and
state
secretary Bijan Dhar. After garlanding the martyrs’ column, a
condolence in reminiscence
of the martyrs was read out by Kishna Rakshit. Since the 19th state
conference,
the condolence read, 34 valuable comrades were lost. One minute silence
was
observed in honour of the martyrs.
After a mammoth rally at
Stable
Ground, Agartala, the first session of the conference started in the
evening. A
presidium comprising Anil Sarkar, Bajuban Reang, Khagen Das, Rama Das
and
Faizur Rahaman was formed. Rest of the state secretariat members formed
the
steering committee. Among the guests, Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury,
Brinda
Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau members and Central Committee member Noorul
Huda
were also seated on the dais.
Heartily congratulating
the delegates
on behalf of the Central Committee, Prakash Karat in his opening speech
briefly
explained the salient points of the just published draft political
resolution
for the forthcoming Party Congress. He said, Capitalism is deeply sunk
into its
inherent crisis. The salvation measures had only broadened the
dimension of the
crisis including fiscal position of the respective governments followed
by the austerity
measures, seriously affecting the social and service sectors. This led
to
innumerable job losses, price hike, poverty, hunger and inequality etc.
There
is a rise in the protest movements of millions of people in almost
every
advanced capitalist country. But in most cases, except in
Explaining the desperate
bid of the
Coming to the national
situation
Karat said, the neo liberal policies pursued by the UPA 2 government
has
resulted in rampant corruption that drains out abnormally huge amount
of public
funds on the one hand and paves way for the corrupt corporate leaders
to enter the
political arena and thereby the entire electoral system is infected
with black
money and muscle power. This will result in deterioration of the
condition of
the working people, curtailment of trade union and democratic rights,
and
democracy would be reduced to a farce. To stall this process, Karat
emphasised
on building up independent struggles, making the Party stronger even in
the
states where it is weak now, to forge
issue-based
joint movements with other organisations and likeminded parties. The
countrywide
general strike called on February 28 by the national trade unions is a
similar
endeavour, Karat said.
Regarding the upcoming
elections to
Tripura legislative assembly, Karat mentioned, the achievements of
Tripura Left
Front government are unparalleled for which the entire Party is proud
of. So,
it is impractical that the impact of our defeat in
POL-ORG
REPORT
While presenting the
political-organisational
report to the conference, state secretary Bijan Dhar briefly narrated
the trends
of changes that have taken place since the 19th conference in the
socio-economic conditions of the people of the state which certainly
had the effects
of the neo-liberal policies pursued by the central government. He also
mentioned the role of the opposition parties. While INPT is trying to
re-activate the withered extremist groups against the Party and the
Left Front government,
the Congress Party has resorted to set a lawlessness and autocracy to
stall all
developmental works and progress. In spite of that, the track record of
the
performance of Left Front government in various basic parameters is
shining
above all other states, he asserted.
A considerable section of
the people
including tribals has a good earning due to rubber plantation, serving
in
middle-east. A section of youth are engaged in various corporate
offices inside
and outside the state. The emergence of a new middleclass has
manifested the
change in the traditional socio-economic relations, religious faith and
also
the political belief. Even the traditional family relations could not
be
maintained. Domestic violence particularly the incidents of killing of
bride
and torture of women are a matter of concern in the state.
We must address these problems with a Marxist
point of view, Bijan Dhar said.
Though a tiny state, the
corporate
lobby has seen the state very fertile for opening their cheating
business.
Various non-banking micro-finance companies started business in the
state. They
do not require even the permission of the state government to open
business in
the state. They are alluring people with staggeringly high rates of
interest. A
section of newly solvent people fall prey to their machinations. The
responsibility rests on us to guide this newly emerged middleclass in
right
path, the report says.
The report briefly
narrated the
impact of the liberalisation policies in agricultural sector. Like
other
states, though there is a concern for getting remunerative prices for
agricultural
produce, still there is no case of farmer’s suicide in the state. The
report
emphasised on bigger movement demanding procurement of paddy from the
state by the
FCI.
Mentioning the growth of
the Party
during the preceding four years, Bijan Dhar said, in the state having
about
36.7 lakh people, a Party of 77,000 members is certainly a big party.
To say
otherwise, according to the final electoral rolls published on January
5, 2012,
among every 29 adult persons in the state, we have one Party member. This
positive aspect places a greater responsibility on the Party to make
all of
them ideologically sound, politically conscious and organisationally
disciplined. We must carry on this drive for qualitative upgradation of
the Party
members, Bijan Dhar urged and exhorted that we must take utmost care in
recruiting
auxiliary unit members from the basic classes of workers, dalits,
landless, jhumias, women and minorities etc.
A strong social barricade
should be
built up against the social evils, like dowry system, child marriage,
untouchability,
torture and killing of women, female foeticide and other superstitions
etc,
Bijan Dhar emphasised.
Describing briefly the
Party’s
performance in several elections held after the 19th conference, Bijan
Dhar informed,
Left Front polled ranging from 55 per cent to 63 per cent votes in Lok Sabha, ADC, panchayat, nagar panchayat
and village committee elections. These is no doubt, these are big
electoral achievements.
Still we have some drawbacks and loopholes which have to be rectified.
While
consolidating the gains, he emphasised, we must reach out to those who
are
still on the wrong side and mobilise them in the next battle of 2013
assembly
elections.
ENRICHING
DISCUSSIONS
A total of 69 delegates
out of 508
participated in the discussionS on the political-organisational report
placed
by the secretary. The issues highlighted in the discussions were:
imperialist
globalisation, its effect on people’s livelihood, strengthening
anti-imperialist movement, qualitative upgradation of the Party
workers, and
frustrating all conspiracies in the upcoming political battle of
assembly
elections in the state. The delegates also suggested that though
extremists at
present are on the back foot, we must not sit idle. Rather we must
carry on the
campaign explaining the destruction they had caused to the state
through their
barbaric attacks for decades. Rina Debbarma informed that the
opposition is
trying to polarise the people on religious lines. A section of Muslim
fundamentalists are working in some pockets of the Muslim belt to
mislead the
people. Youth comrades informed the need to expose the real face of a
section
of media who are doing politics in the name of de-politicisation of
youth. Some
delegates demanded proper demarcation of lands that have been allotted
to the
beneficiaries under FRA, rehabilitation of the families displaced for
construction of barbed wire fencing along the border, proper action
against the
cheating micro-finance fund companies, measures for boosting up the
SHGs
working in the state etc. Some members highlighted the danger of
‘identity
politics’ which may divert the mainstream class struggle to take a
wrong
approach.
In the first session on
January 30,
Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau member briefly explained the draft
ideological
document which will be finalised in the 20th Party Congress. Sitaram
said the
so called rescue measures to save the capitalism through pumping State
funds,
has further deepened the crisis that has resulted in drastic
curtailment in
social sector spending and peoples upsurge in most of the advanced
capitalist
countries. Globalisation and rampant aggression in the Arab countries
is a new
feature of the imperialists to shift their own crisis to the
third-world
developing countries. With the ruling party of our country being a
party to the
US strategic alliance and globalisation, the country might not be free
from its
blaze. So there is a deeper crisis in agricultural sector, industrial
sector,
unorganised sector. Still the capitalism does not perish on its own. It
must be
struck down. In our country, while there
is only 7 per cent organised labour, vast labour force lies in the
unorganised
sector. We have to draw them into our organisation. The capitalist
exploitation
in India has two edges i.e. financial exploitation and social
suppression. We
have to build up class struggle defeating all the alien trends like
‘identity
politics’, caste, creed, gender, religion, sectarianism and communalism
etc.
which are detrimental to class unity and secularism, Sitaram said.
Elaborating the
ideological challenges
that the Party faced since its inception, Sitaram said, Indian
revolution will be
in the Indian way. The CPI(M) will work for accomplishing Peoples
Democratic Revolution
in the country, combining the struggles of the vast masses, he
asserted.
In the concluding session
on February
1, Brinda Karat greeted the conference and informed that while being in
the parliament
she had to deal with various committees and departments who would
review the
performance of the states in various parameters. While they were
reporting that
the performance of Tripura Left Front government,
especially in NREGA, FRA, protecting the rights of tribals and women,
and in social
sector, is far ahead of other states, we felt proud of the Left Front government and the Party here. In many
aspects, Tripura may the guiding force in formulating our policies, she
said
and hoped that like in all the recent elections, Tripura would keep up
its
victory in the next assembly elections which will inspire the entire
Party in the
coming days.
Speaking in reply to some
of the
administrative issues raised by the delegates, Polit Bureau member and
chief
minister Manik Sarkar said, most of the delegates rightly expressed
their
consciousness and importance of the next assembly elections. Certainly
it would
not be a cake walk. The middleclass, both among tribals and nontribals,
has
grown in the state. Also a section of people became very much solvent,
thanks
to the performance of the Left Front government. There might be a
contradiction
between their interests and our policies. But it would be wrong to
think that
they belong to our enemy camp. Their vacillation should be removed
through
persuasion, Manik Sarkar suggested. The tribals are our traditionally
strong
base. But the base requires to be refurbished because of the emergence
of sections
like neo rich and intelligentsia. At the same time, we should take
utmost care
to ensure our closest ties with our basic classes i.e. workers,
agricultural workers,
marginal farmers, wage labourers, jhumias
etc. He alerted about the damaging activities of some fundamentalists
among the
Muslim population. In addition to the deprivation of the state of its
due
by the 13th Finance Commission
recommendations, Manik Sarkar said, central government is imposing
adverse
conditions for releasing funds. In spite of that, not a single
anti-people
decision was ever taken by the Left Front government. The opposition
may resort
to malicious character assassination and misleading campaign. All these
must be
refuted factually. We have limitations in fund, materials and media
etc., which
may be compensated through close contact with the people, who are the
supreme
power, Manik Sarkar concluded.
Appreciating the
discussions of the
delegates enriching the political-organisational report and
strengthening the
organisation, Bijan Dhar said, it is the rule of the capitalism that a
small
section flourishes and the rest of the vast masses dwindle. It is
immaterial
who belongs to which class. We must be conscious that we belong to the
working
class. Our principle aim is to serve the interests of the workers,
peasants,
agricultural labourers, students, youth, women etc.
Explaining the adverse
impacts of the
neo-liberal policies in many trades, Bijan Dhar said, our prime task is
to draw
the poor into the organisational fold. Regarding qualitative
upgradation of the
Party workers, Bijan Dhar said, study of Marxism is certainly good. But
that is
not the only quality to be a good communist. A good communist must have
the capacity
to assess certain situation from the Marxist point of view and have the
ability
to move accordingly. Without practice, good theory is of no use, he
concluded.
RESOLTIONS
ADOPTED
A total of 13 resolutions
including
condolence resolution were adopted in the conference. Those include i)
demanding one-third reservation for the women in parliament and
assemblies ii)
against imperialist aggression, iii) in favour of strengthening peace,
amity
and environment conducive to implement development works in the state,
iv) against
deprivation of the state of its due by the 13th Finance Commission, v)
against
price rise of essential commodities, petrol price hike and demanding
food
security and universal rationing system, vi)
against corruption in higher administrative levels and demanding
effective Lok Pal bill, vii) against disinvestment, privatisation and
inviting
FDI in retail trade, viii) call to make February 28 countrywide general
strike
a grand success, ix) against the anti-peasant policies of the central
government,
x) against semi-fascist terror let loose by the TMC-Congress alliance
in West
Bengal, xi) for infrastructure development in the state and xii) a call
for political-organisational
preparedness for the next assembly elections.
The convener of credential
committee,
Radhacharan Debbarma, presented the credential report to the
conference. The
report says, out of 512 delegates, 508 including 68 women attended the
conference. Only four state committee members could not attend due to
advanced age
and ailments. While Chitta Chanda (93) was the oldest delegate,
Nilanjana (28)
was the youngest. In respect to position held in the Party, the
delegates
comprised Polit Bureau member -1, Central Committee members - 6, state
committee members -72, district committee members - 379, local
committee
members - 43 and branch members - 7. The
class composition of the delegates was as follows: workers-25,
agricultural labourers
-12, Jhumia - 35, poor peasants -146,
middle peasants -104, rich peasants -15, zamindar-1,
non-farm landowners -5, traders -4, middle class -161. Social
composition of
the delegates shows: SCs - 61, STs -120, OBCs - 90, general - 237. As
regards
elected representatives, the delegates comprised MPs-3, MLAs-44, ADC
members-14,
ADC executive members -9, municipal council members -7, nagar panchayat
members
-18, zilla parishad members -21, panchayat samity members -21, BACs-3, gram panchayat members -6, village
committee members -17, members of boards and corporation -16. A total
of 42
delegates were imprisoned on political grounds. The credit of highest
number of
days of imprisonment goes to Subal Rudra, state committee member.
On behalf of the outgoing
state
committee, Bijan Dhar proposed the names of Jyotish Saha, Rupa Ganguli
and
Salil Krishna Debbarman as the new State Control Commission which was
passed in
the conference unopposed. The Control Commission after a short meeting
declared
that Jyotish Saha has been elected as the chairman of the commission.
NEW STATE
COMMITTEE
In the later part of the
last
session, an 83-member state committee including three new members was
elected
unanimously. The state committee immediately met on the dais of the
conference
and declared amid high applause, a 14-member state secretariat with
Rama Das as
the new entrant and Bijan Dhar as secretary re-elected.
Gautam Das, convenor of
the preparatory
committee thanked all concerned for extending cooperation in the form
of cash,
kind and support for successfully completing the conference.
On behalf of the
presidium, Anil Sarkar
said, this is the liveliest conference he had ever attended. Tripura
was one of
the front-runners in the struggle for establishing an exploitation-free
society
and shall be so in future, Anil Sarkar proclaimed.
The conference ended with
the rendering
of the Internationale.
