CHERTHALA in Alappuzha is a hamlet that once made a history because of its role in the formation of the present day Kerala. The same hamlet once again witnessed another historic event on February 1, 2014. On the day, Vayalar, where hundreds of communists made the supreme sacrifice in the struggle for independence, wholeheartedly welcomed the communist cadre on the day In the evening on the day, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member S Ramachandran Pillai handed the red flag over to the CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, leader of the Kerala Raksha March which is scheduled to meet the people of 140 assembly segments of Kerala within 26 days. Earlier the red flag was given to Pillai by P K Chandranandan, veteran CPI(M) leader and commandant of the Vayalar warriors, amid thundering slogans. Leaders marched towards the stage after paying floral tributes at Vayalar martyrs memorial. Members of Kerala Raksha March are A Vijayaraghavan, E P Jayarajan, P K Srimathi, Elamaram Karim, M V Govindan, A K Balan and Baby John. In the function C B Chandrababu welcomed the people. Senior leader V S Achuthandan and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan were present at the inauguration. The Kerala Raksha March will cover the length and breadth of the state, and highlight the failures of the Congress-led governments at the centre and in the state. The slogan of the march is: Secular India, Developed Kerala. Five main issues of the campaign are price rise, public distribution system, threat of communalism, corruption and solar scam. Public meetings would be organised in 126 centres during the yatra, covering 140 assembly segments in the state. It would conclude at Kozhikode on February 26. While inaugurating the march, S Ramachandran Pillai said the Congress lacked the strength to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls and asserted that a united platform of the Left, secular and democratic forces would emerge as an alternative to the UPA and NDA. The CPI(M) had begun effective moves towards building such an alternative. Mounting a scathing attack on the Congress led governments at the centre and in Kerala, Pillai said they had been pursuing policies that suited only the interest of the corporates and totally neglected the common man. While a drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls was awaiting the Congress, the Left would put up a splendid performance in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, he said. NOBLE GIFT FROM MRS LALITHAMMAL MRS Lalithammal was extremely delighted while she was holding a sickle which symbolises the sharpness of struggles led by the communists in Kerala. This noble gift was presented to Pinarayi Vijayan, leader of the Kerala Raksha March, and has something to tell. Lalithammal upholds the legacy of a brave act of her husband, late K C S Mani, a former RSP activist, who once tried to kill Sir C P Ramswamy Aiyer, Diwan of the erstwhile Travancore who led a brutal attack on the peasants and agriculture workers in the princely state state. Diwan Ramaswami Aiyer who ordered firing and brutal attacks on the warriors of Vayalar had to leave Travancore soon after Mani made an attempt to kill him. Lalithammal presented the sickle to Pinarayi Vijayan when the Kerala Raksha March reached Ambalappuzha on the second day of its itinerary. Thousands of people gathered there to receive the March. Pinarayi appreciated the courage of Lalithammal who was seated in the front raw of the audience. “I am too delighted to see the leaders of the CPI(M). Giving a present to Comrade Pinarayi amidst thundering slogans is an honour to me,” she said. A message sent by former Alappuzha District Congress Committee secretary P K Kuriakose triggered the spirit of CPI(M) workers on day two. Kuriakose, who was a member of the Pradesh Congress Committee and had been an INTUC leader for five decades, was a close associate of leaders like A K Antony and Vayalar Ravi when they led an undemocratic struggle to topple the first government in Kerala led by E M S Namboodiripad. In his message, however, he said the he had full confidence in the CPI(M) led struggles. He added that CPI(M) workers alone came forward to help him when his old colleagues had deserted him. After the reception in the Alappuzha town in the morning, the jatha moved towards Mankomb where thousands of agricultural workers and peasants were gathered. The jatha moved through the heart of Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala. Gopinatha Pillai, father of Pranesh Kumar alias Javed Sheikh who was killed in a fake encounter in Gujarat, was also present to receive the March.