People's Democracy

KERALA

Raksha March Culminates in Massive Rally

N S Sajith

DISPLAYING the invincible strength of the communist movement in Kerala, the 26 days long Kerala Raksha March, led by CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, culminated in a massive rally attended by tens of thousands of people in the historic city of Kozhikode, on the shore of Arabian Sea on February 26, 2014. The march, which raised the slogan “Secular India and Developed Kerala,” reached Kozhikode after meeting lakhs of people en route in almost all the assembly constituencies in the state. The mammoth rally was inaugurated by CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat.

The 26 days long Kerala Raksha March, with its massive attendance and its political message, added a new chapter to the political history of Kerala. It once again proved the pivotal role which the Left movement, led by the CPI (M), plays in the political life of Kerala.

The march started from Vayalar, the land of a historic struggle for the independence of Travancore, then a princely state. Pinarayi Vijayan and other jatha members --- A Vijayaraghavan, P K Sreemathi, E P Jayarajan, A K Balan, M V Govindan, Elamaram Karim and Baby John --- interacted with the people in as many as 126 constituencies of the state. For the concluding programme, people from four assembly constituencies in Kozhikode district had gathered.

The Kerala Raksha March scored a big success in imparting political education to the people. It raised issues like the deteriorating pubic distribution system, spiralling price rises and attempts to rouse communal passions by anti-social elements, which exposing the Congress-UDF role in corruption and the right wing policies, all along its route. Hundreds of artists, veteran freedom fighters and social activists came forward, along with thousands of common people including members of other parties, to greet the march in the reception meetings organised en route. At several centres, thousands of people waited to meet and hear the leaders even in the late night. Farmers facing a severe threat from the central government’s decision to implement the Kasturirangan report, workers in the traditional industries and masses of the coastal areas attended in large numbers the meetings organised en route. The Kerala Raksha March received warm welcome even in areas that are considered strongholds of the Muslim League or of the BJP. Many people from these parties, who have preferred to cooperate with the CPI(M), were garlanded in these meetings.