People's Democracy

ON TO 20TH PARTY CONGRESS

Karat Opens History Exhibition

THE struggles all over the world are proving that the proclamations made in the last decade of the previous century on the death of socialism were false and a myth. This the CPI(M) general secretary, Prakash Karat, asserted on March 5 while inaugurating the history exhibition titled “Socialism is the Future,” in Kozhikode in connection with the forthcoming 20th congress of the party, scheduled to be held in this city from April 4 to 9. He said those who questioned the future of socialism are now worrying about the future of capitalism itself. The present decade of the 21st century is witnessing the regrouping of democratic forces against the imperialism, he added.

We must recall that the history of 20th century is the history of the struggle against imperialism. We also saw a great advancement in the fight against fascism, an extreme form of imperialism. That century was a century of struggles for democracy and of the rise of socialism. But the entire history was sought to be erased in the end of that century, after the fall of the Soviet Union. It was proclaimed that history has ended. But the struggles in this century show a regrouping of democratic forces against the exploitation of imperialism. Such struggles must continue, he exhorted.

The period since the last CPI(M) congress has witnessed a prolonged crisis of world capitalism. Insofar as India is concerned, it is only the CPI(M) and other Left forces who can put forward an alternative to the neo-liberal policies being pursued by the UPA. These are the policies which have further heightened the inequalities and exploitation, Karat said.

T P Ramakrishnan (general convener or organising committee of the party congress) and CPI(M) state secretariat member and Deshabhimani chief editor V V Dakshinamurthi also spoke at the function. Karat, along with other leaders, also visited the exhibition which depicted the international, national and state level events.