People's Democracy

AIPSO Conference

Successfully Held in Puducherry

THE All India Conference of the AIPSO was held successfully in Puducherry from October 5-7, 2012. This was held five years after the last conference in Patna. 280 delegates from 19 states participated in the conference. Compared to the last conference, this shows an increased representation and thus the expansion of the Organisation.

The opening session of the conference was held in the impressive Kamban Kalairangam on the 5th morning with the active participation of the citizens from Puducherry. The chief minister of Puducherry, who is also the chairman of the reception committee, was the chief guest. He thanked the all India committee of the AIPSO for giving Puducherry the opportunity to organise the conference and said that the choice is very apt for an organisation like the AIPSO. Tracing the history of Puducherry and its rich and varied culture, he said that people speaking 55 different languages are residing in the state, in peace and harmony without any communal disturbance. The role of education in developing the consciousness of the citizens is very important, the chief minister stated.

Sitaram Yechury, member of the Presidium of the AIPSO in his presidential address brought to light the background in which the present conference was being held. He said that imperialism would try to come out of the present global economic crisis by imposing further burdens on the people of developing countries. It is in this context that the control over the natural resources available and the markets becomes important, he pointed out. It will not be shying away from using the military option too to gain control over both the resources and markets, he said. Quoting from the strategic US document on the Project for the New American Century, he pointed out how the US is trying to impose its hegemony over the world. It is as a part of this initiative that the US is now trying to increase its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Yechury pointed out that the US policy is to contain all the perceived threats to its hegemony and it now sees China as a major threat along with Russia and Iran.

Yechury brought to the notice of the house, the increasing military expenditures of the US and contrasted this with the unwillingness of the US administration to spend money for creating more jobs in the country and help easing out the burdens on its people. Basing on the calculations made by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), he said that hunger can be eliminated from the world 14 times over with the monies being spent only on the military budget of the US. This shows the inhuman face of the imperialism and our duty to fight it. Dealing with the issue of the struggling people of Palestine and the unjust Israeli occupation, he lamented the spinelessness of current Indian government's foreign policy. Stating that it is the legacy of our freedom struggle, he quoted Mahatma Gandhi who had expressed his solidarity with the Palestinian cause and their right for their homeland in unambiguous terms. He said that it is the duty of all peace loving people of our country to stand in solidarity with the people who are struggling against imperialism.

Lauding the Socialist Republic of Cuba he brought to the notice of the august gathering how it is resisting all the attempts of imperialism to subvert its sovereignty. He reiterated the solidarity of the Indian people with the cause of the Cuban revolution and demanded the US government to immediately release the Five Cuban Heroes who are wrongfully incarcerated. Yechury concluded his speech by urging upon the delegates gathered from around the country to convert the peace movement into a really mass movement involving all the sections of the society.

D Raja, another member of the Presidium of the AIPSO, in his speech recalled the anti-imperialist tradition of the organisation and the stalwarts who were involved with it. He traced the present dangers and threats posed by imperialism particularly in the Asian continent. He urged upon all those present in the conference to take up the issues of peace and solidarity, which is a part of the struggle against imperialism in a big way.

The delegate session started in the afternoon with a seven-member presidium elected to conduct the sessions. Nilotpal Basu, general secretary of the AIPSO presented the political report to the conference, while Pallab Sen Gupta, general secretary (coordination) presented the organisational report. The reports dealt at length with the current threats to the peace in the region and the world over. The reports reviewed the various programmes undertaken by the AIPSO since the last conference and identified the areas for improvement. The stress of the general secretaries’ reports was on the measures to be adopted to make the AIPSO into a broad-based mass organisation involving all the sections of the people. As Pallab Sen Gupta pointed out in his presentation, it was all about bringing out the organisation from the seminar halls and discussion rooms to the streets resisting the attempts of imperialism and fighting for peace. The report identified the areas of advancement made by the Organisation. For example while delegates from seven states only attended the previous conference of the AIPSO, now 19 states were represented.

Delegates from the respective states participated in the discussions on both the reports placed by the general secretaries. They endorsed the reports and strengthened it further with their suggestions. The conference unanimously adopted the reports and also the audit report of the Organisation. Six resolutions were introduced on issues like nuclear disarmament, solidarity with the Palestinian people, solidarity with Cuba, against terrorism, against imperialist aggression in Syria and on the Sri Lankan issue.

The conference also unanimously adopted some amendments made to the constitution of AIPSO – increasing the membership fees and forming the general council along with the national executive committee. The conference ended with the election of new committee to implement its tasks and mandate. Mani Shankar Iyer, Pawan Kumar Bansal, Sitaram Yechury and D Raja were elected as the members of the Presidium. Jadhav Reddy, Pallab Sen Gupta and Nilotpal Basu were elected as the general secretaries.

The conference also profusely thanked the reception committee and the Puducherry unit of the AIPSO for making splendid arrangements for the successful hosting of the conference. It particularly thanked the local MLA Lakshminarayana, the volunteers and the people of Puducherry for their efforts in organising the conference.