People's Democracy

ODISHA

Left Convention for Alternative Policy Based Politics

SPEAKING in the state level Left parties’ convention at Bhubaneswar on August 11, 2013, veteran communist leader and CPI national secretary A B Bardhan called for mobilising people for an alternative policy based political forum which will pave the way to a real Left and democratic alternative to the Congress led United Progressive Alliance and its government as well as to the BJP led National Democratic Allaince which follow the same destructive neo-liberal economic policies without any compunction.

This state level Left convention was held according to the decision of the national level convention of Left parties held at New Delhi on July 1, 2013.

More than five hundred Left cadres belonging to the CPI(M), CPI and Forward Bloc took part in the state level convention which was presided over by former CPI(M) MP Sibajee Pattanaik, former CPI MLA Narayan Reddy and FB leader Purna Chandra Padhy. At the outset, a condolence resolution expressed grief over the sad demise of Mahakalapada rape victim and of Forward Bloc state secretary Comrade Santosh Mitra.

The Left parties’ declaration was moved by CPI(M) state secretary Janardan Pati, and was seconded by CPI state secretary Dibakar Nayak and FB leader Purnachandra Padhy. While speaking at the convention, A B Bardhan said that during the last 12 years more than 1,600 millionaires were created and the top 100 capitalists among them possess more than the national income of India. While the corporate houses minted 15 per cent more profit during this period, more than one crore workers and employees lost their jobs and 78 per cent of the Indian population are compelled to live with hunger, malnutrition and poverty; this is the section whom the ruling classes proclaim as BPL (below poverty line) people. This is the contribution of the World Bank-IMF directed neo-liberal policies that have been blindly followed by both the NDA and UPA alliances led by the BJP and the Congress respectively. Therefore the people are getting disillusioned day by day. The Left forces have a responsibility to rescue the country and the vast masses from the ruin by bringing an alternative policy based government at the centre, quite opposed to the policies pursued either by the Congress or the BJP.

Surjyakanta Mishra, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and West Bengal opposition leader, described the rightist policies as the basic cause for the rise in prices of foodgrains and other essential commodities as well as of the petrol and diesel price rise, of the rise in unemployment and inflation which has filled the life of all the working people with miseries.

Bardhan also narrated the alternative Left policies which can bring a solution to the crisis of the country’s economy as well as ensure the well being of the people. He asked for more campaigns in favour of the Left polices in order to ensure fulfillment of the Left parties’ declaration.

Naren Dey, former Left Front minister and Forward Bloc leader, urged upon the Left parties’ cadres to move to the rural as well as urban populations and campaign for the alternative political forum to achieve a policy based alternative to the present capitalist dispensation of UPA and NDA led governments.

The convention unanimously adopted the Left declaration and resolved to campaign in its favour in the coming months. It was also decided to hold a massive Left parties’ rally at Bhubaneswar in the second half of October 2013.