People's Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
No.
09
February 26, 2012
|
Vol. XXXVI
No.
09 February 26, 2012 |
CPI(M) HOLDS
Strengthening Left, Democratic Forces to Build Prosperous
Isfaqur
Rahman
THROUGH its
twentieth
The three-day
conference
was held at the capital city of
INAUGURAL
FUNCTION
The
conference was
formally inaugurated by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, S R Pillai in a
jam-packed
auditorium of the District Library. Hemen Das, Debanada Das, Purno
Boro,
Satyabati Bhuyan and Fazlur Rahman were elected to the presidium. The
steering
committee was formed with the state secretariat members. Basudev
Kalita, Nirmal
Dey and Nripesh Roy were elected to the credentials committee, while
Gobin
Nath, Ranjit Choudhury and Tarif Bhuyan were elected to the proceedings
committee.
The
condolence
resolution, moved by the presidium, paid rich tributes to the former
CPI(M)
general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet, Polit Bureau member and
former West
Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu, Polit Bureau members M K Pandhe and
Chittabrata
Majumdar, former Polit Bureau member E Balanandan, state secretariat
member
Nizamuddin Khan and other comrades who passed away during the last four
years.
The conference also paid homage to cultural celebrities like Dilip
Sarma, Dr
Bhupen Hazarika and noted literary figure Mamoni Roisom Goswami.
The inaugural
song was
presented by Ghana Deka and his associates of the Guwahati IPTA.
Eminent
scientist and chairman of the reception committee, Dr Chandra Mohan
Sarma,
delivered his welcome address. In his speech, Dr Sarma said, capitalism
was not
'eternal' as proclaimed by the bourgeois theorists and the euphoria
over
'collapse of socialism' was fading fast. Although the Leftist forces in
In his
inaugural speech,
S R Pillai explained the national and international situation and
referred to
the unfolding and all pervading economic crisis in the capitalist
world.
Asserting the unsustainability of finance capital-driven globalisation,
Pillai
said there were growing protests worldwide against the neo-liberal
order and
its disastrous impact was seen in increasing inequalities and rising
unemployment.
While dealing
with the
national situation, Pillai thundered against the Congress-led UPA
dispensation
for aggressively implementing neo-liberal policies and facilitating
unfettered
exploitation of resources and profiteering by domestic and foreign big
corporates. The disastrous policies of the Manmohan Singh government
were
solely responsible for spiralling prices of essential commodities,
alarming
problem of unemployment and growing landlessness, deepening agrarian
crisis and
increasing incidents of farmers' suicides, Pillai said.
Referring to
the
communal BJP, Pillai said the major opposition party in parliament had
no basic
difference with the economic policies of the Congress. The BJP, a
rightwing
alternative to the Congress, pursues the same neo-liberal policies and
advocates a pro-US foreign policy. Both the Congress and the BJP
represent the
bourgeois-landlord order. The CPI(M) leader asserted that only a Left
and
democratic platform could be the alternative to bourgeois-landlord
rule.
While
stressing the need
for joint actions with the non-Congress secular parties, Pillai
referred to the
utmost importance of strengthening the independent role of the CPI(M).
He
exhorted the delegates to expand the influence and base of the party in
The three-day
conference
was also attended by Polit Bureau member and Tripura chief minister
Manik
Sarkar and Central Committee member Noorul Huda.
DELEGATES
SESSION
The
conference was
attended by 366 elected delegates, including 25 observers, representing
a total
of 14,359 members in the state. CPI(M) state secretary Uddhab Barman
placed the
draft political report and also the draft organisational report on
behalf of
the state committee.
The draft
political report
extensively dealt with the economic and political situation in Assam in
the
backdrop of the national and international situation. While reviewing
the
economic situation in the state, the report said "The economic
development
in Assam has still been distressing. The neo-liberal economic policies
of the
central government and its discriminatory attitude towards Assam has
largely
been responsible for the backwardness of the state. The inefficiency
and
failures of the state government are no less responsible. In the
absence of
proper planning and lack of investment, the state is lagging far behind
in
infrastructure development. The huge natural resources are yet to be
tapped.
Unbridled corruption and brazen loot of the state exchequer have also
retarded
the pace of development in the state."
Making an
objective
assessment of the performance of the state government during the
intervening
period, the report pinpointed the failures of the ruling Congress-led
dispensation in Assam. The policies of the Tarun Gogoi-led government
have
largely been responsible for the deepening agrarian crisis and the
crisis faced
by the farmers, dismal picture in the industrial front, lack of
infrastructure
and abnormal delay in implementing the ongoing projects, rising problem
of
unemployment, privatisation and commercialisation of education etc. The
state
government has also failed to solve the problems of workers and
employees, in both
the organised and unorganised sectors. The woes and sufferings of the
unorganised sectors have been accentuated by the callous attitude of
the state
government. During the 11 year uninterrupted rule of the Congress
dispensation,
corruption has not only been institutionalised but also surpassed all
limits,
the report added.
The draft
report noted
with concern the growth and increasing influence of identity politics
in the
state. In fact, Assam, a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and multi-national
state
of the North East, has always been a fertile ground for such divisive
politics.
In recent period, the trends towards seeking and assertion of
self-identities
has been rising among various ethnic groups posing a challenge to the
democratic unity of the people. The state witnessed conflicts and
clashes
between Kukis and Karbis, Kukis and Hmars, Kukis and Dimasas, Hmars and
Dimasas, Dimasas and Zemi Nagas in the two hill districts of Karbi
Anglong and
N C Hills. Fratricidal clashes were also taken place between Rabhas and
Garos
in Goalpara district bordering Meghalaya. Similar clashes were also
witnessed
in the BTAD areas between Bodos and Adivasis, Bodos and immigrant
Muslims. The
draft report noted that such clashes and conflicts not only disrupted
peace,
unity and integrity, but also badly affected the Left and democratic
movements
in the state. The report further added that the misrule and political
chicanery
of the Congress, associated with social discrimination and grave
injustice
meted out to the backward communities had led to such alarming rise of
identify
politics in Assam. While firmly opposing divisive slogans and
appreciating the
genuine grievances of the backward ethnic groups, the draft political
report
stated that "the party will have to take up issues of social justice
along
with the class issues. Programmes should be taken up to identify the
democratic
contents and genuine aspirations reflected in the movements of the
backward
sections so that a broad-based united movement can be built up.
Referring to
the demands
for 'separate state' raised by some sections, the political report
firmly
stated its opposition to further vivisection of Assam and formation of
new
states. The report also extensively dealt with the problems of the
tribal
autonomous councils, growing demands for recognition of Scheduled Tribe
status
to the Koch-Rajbonshis, Tea-tribe Adivasis, Tai-Ahoms, Morans,
Mataks and
Chutiyas. On the issues of social justice, the report dealt with the
woes and sufferings
of the Muslims and tea-tribes and demanded remedial measures. The party
demands
proper and immediate implementation of the recommendations of the
Sachar committee
and Ranganath Mishra commission for socio-economic and educational
development
of the Muslim community. Similarly, the party demanded immediate halt
to the
discriminations and injustice meted out to the Adivasi tea-tribes. It
also
strongly advocated for women empowerment.
The other
issues dealt
in the draft political report include the problems of terrorism and
extremism,
communalism and fundamentalism, illegal infiltration of foreign
nationals,
rights of the minorities and the issue of 'D' voters, preparation of
the
National Register of Citizenship with 1971 as the base year, the
problems of
recurring floods and erosions, the construction of Lower Subansiri
Hydroelectric
Project by the NHPC at Gerukamukh etc.
The draft
report also
made an objective assessment of the role of the political parties in
the state
and chalked out the tasks ahead. Finally, the report was concluded with
a call
to intensify the independent activities and conduct movements and
struggles for
the all-round development, peace and progress of Assam. The party has
also
decided to unite and strengthen Left, democratic and secular forces of
the
state to build up a Left and democratic alternative.
The draft
organisational
report discussed the stagnation in growth of the party and
self-critically
analysed the weaknesses and shortcomings in the organisation. A 12
point organisational
task was incorporated in the report.
A total of 58
delegates
participated in the discussion on the draft political and
organisational
reports and stated their varied experiences. After the reply by the
secretary
Uddhab Barman, both the draft reports were adopted by the conference.
The
conference also
adopted 17 resolutions on price-rise, corruptions and scams with demand
for a
strong Lokpal, remunerative prices to the farmers, land to the landless
and pattas, problems of the workers of the
unorganised sectors, February 28 strike called by the central trade
unions etc.
The
conference elected a
50 member new state committee with provisions for two cooptions. Uddhab
Barman
was unanimously re-elected secretary of the state committee. It also
elected a 16
member delegation to the 20th party congress to be held in April at
Kozhikode.
As per the
report of the
credentials committee, out of the 366 delegates and observers, 61 were
women.
50 delegates belonged to the working class, 102 were either
agricultural
labourers or poor peasants, 58 were middle peasants, 2 were rich
peasants and
153 were middle class. The social composition of the delegates was:
ST-36,
SC-12, OBC-106, Muslim-50, Tea community-14, Linguistic minorities-57.
The
concluding speech of
the conference was delivered by Polit Bureau member and Tripura chief
minister
Manik Sarkar. He referred to the discussion of the delegates and said
the
discussions reflected the consciousness and sincerity of the comrades
and
enriched the reports adopted by the conference. The intensification of
mass and
class movements in Assam would also leave impact and influence in the
growth of
the party in the entire North Eastern part of our country, Sarkar said.
He
exhorted the delegates to strengthen the party and mass movements with
courage
and conviction.
On behalf of
the
presidium, Hemen Das thanked and greeted the delegates and the members
of the reception
committee for making the conference a great success. More than 150
volunteers
worked day and night for the last one month for achieving such a
success.
A souvenir
published by
the reception committee was formally inaugurated by the state secretary
Uddhab
Barman. Seminars and cultural shows were also organised in connection
with the
conference. Manik Sarkar spoke in the well-attended seminar on "Two
Decades Neo-Liberal Economy & Search for Alternative," held on
February 4 at Lakshmiram Baruah Sadan. The Hemanga Biswas-Bhupen
Hazarika
memorial cultural show was inaugurated by renowned cultural celebrity
Sudakshina Sarma. Bibhuranjan Choudhury, Ghana Deka and the IPTA
troupes
enthralled the audience with their performance.
OPEN
SESSION
On February
5, the
concluding day of the conference, a huge rally was organised in Sonaram
School ground
in the city. The city witnessed ceaseless flows of party workers,
supporters
and sympathisers coming from nook and corner of the state. Several
thousand
people came from the districts of Barpeta, Kamrup, Nalbari, Bongaigaon,
Kokrajhar, Darrang, Sonitpur, Nagaon, Dhubri, Goalpara etc. Large
contingent of
people also came from the Upper Assam districts of Jorhat, Dibrugarh,
Tinsukia,
Sibsagar, Lakhimpur cutting across religious, national and ethnic
barriers. The
colourful rally mirrored the unity and struggle of all sections of the
people
--- Hindus, Muslims and Christians, tribals and non-tribals, Assamese
and
non-Assamese.
The rally was
presided
over by senior leader Hemen Das and addressed, among others, by S R
Pillai and
Manik Sarkar. The state secretary Uddhab Barman explained the decisions
and
resolutions of the delegates' session.
Addressing
the open
session, S R Pillai and Manik Sarkar came down heavily on the
neo-liberal
economic policies of government which spell disaster to the common
people. Both
the leaders made a fervent appeal to the people of Assam to intensify
the
struggles against the anti-people policies of the government and to
strengthen the
Left and democratic forces in the country. Only a L Left and democratic
alternative could solve the problems of Assam and the country as well.
To build
a prosperous Assam, unite the toiling masses and strengthen the CPI(M)
and the Left,
they appealed.
With
this massive rally, the conference came to a successful end.
