People's Democracy

KERALA

CPI(M) State Plenum Start at Palakkad

N S Sajith

PALAKKAD, a land of mighty struggles of peasants and agricultural workers, hosted the special state plenum of the CPI(M) from November 26 to 28. Marking the beginning of the plenum, senior communist leader and CPI(M) state committee member T Shivadasa Menon hoisted the red flag on November 26 evening at AKG Nagar (Municipal Stadium), the venue of the public meeting.

Before the plenum opened, three jathas brought the red flag, a flag post and a torch from various martyrs memorials in Palakkad district, culminating in the Municipal Stadium in the presence of thousands of party workers. Slogans in the memory of martyrs who laid their life for the cause of toiling masses reverberated all over the town.

The plenum was organised to discuss the possibilities of a favourable political scenario and the strategies to overcome the flaws. It also discussed the strategies to invigorate the organisation.

Before the delegates session began at EMS Nagar (Town Hall) on November 27, opposition leader and Central Committee member V S Achuthanandan hoisted the red flag at the venue.

“408 delegates, six Polit Bureau members, 87 state committee members and 2021 area committee members are attending the session,” reception committee chairman A K Balan said.

Polit Bureau member Kodiyeri Balakrisnan, who presided over the inaugural session, presented the resolution on martyrs and a condolence resolution.

In his inaugural speech at the delegates session at 10 a m on November 27, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said the CPI(M) and other Left forces alone could launch a credible struggle against the neo-liberal policies of the Congress and the communal polarisation agenda of BJP. While inaugurating the three day state plenum of the CPI(M)’s Kerala state unit, he said the people were fed up with the policies of the Congress led UPA government which has caused unprecedented price rise and inflation. The Congress has lost the credibility to challenge the threat posed by the BJP.

As for the massive, high level corruption in public space, Karat said it was not accidental but an inevitable outcome of the neo-liberal regime. The reign of UPA for the last nine and a half years has been associated with high price rises, growing unemployment and massive corruption. People are looking for an alternative to the bankrupt Congress policies.

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is seeking to project itself as an alternative but its class character is not different from the Congress. It has supported the Congress in every area of economic policy, e.g. for so-called reforms in the banking sector or to privatise the pension fund. The BJP never opposed when the UPA government doubled the gas price in favour of the Reliance. Naturally, the BJP, led by Narendra Modi, is getting unprecedented support from big corporate houses as it has given clear signals that it would serve their interests better than the Congress-led UPA, if voted to power.  

Another danger posed by the Modi led BJP was that it is trying to implement a communal agenda. We have seen for the last one year all over the country systematic communal polarisation BJP and Narendra Modi for electoral gains for, Karat said.

The plenum will specifically have an indepth review of the organisational matters, he said, urging the party members to guard themselves from deviations.   

Pinarayi Vijayan presented the organisational report, and then the delegates began an indepth discussion on the report.

A rally massive will be organised in connection with the plenum. On November 29, two lakh people will gather in the historic Kotta Maidan in Palakkad. Prakash Karat will inaugurate the rally. CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, Polit Bureau members S Ramachandran Pillai, Sitaram Yechury, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, M A Baby and opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan  will address the rally.

Seminars on various subjects were also organised in connection with the plenum. S Ramachandran Pillai inaugurated the seminar on Secularism and Indian Democracy on November 27, while Sitaram Yechury inaugurated another on Liberalisation and Alternative Policy on November 28. Cultural events like ghazal concert and dramas were also conducted.

November 28, 2013