IN the run-up to the 21st Party Congress, a seminar was organised on “50 years of CPI(M)- Future of India”, on January 11, in Visakhapatnam. Speaking at the seminar, Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member emphasized that Socialism is only alternative for the future of the country. The Left parties may have lost in the 2014 elections. But they alone offer a credible alternative. He said the government is passing ordinances where there is no justification for these ordinances. It is an ordinance raj and not a democratic rule, he said. He said the Party is analyzing the various reasons behind its weak performance in the Lok Sabha elections. There are sea changes in the general life trends of the people during the last two and half decades due to the neo-liberal policies. The Party is making all efforts to discuss these in the upcoming Party Congress. He expressed confidence that the Congress will draw out programmes to strengthen the Party in the coming days. He appealed to the people of Visakhapatnam, the biggest city of Andhra Pradesh, to make the 21st Congress of the CPI(M) a resounding success. Ch Narasingarao, CPI(M) state secretariat member, MVS Sarma, K Lokanadham, district secretary of the Party also spoke. Prof K. Venkateswaralu, a retired professor of Andhra University also spoke on the occasion. B Gangarao, city secretary of CPI(M) chaired the seminar. As a part of the campaign and publicity for the Party Congress, “Walk with Sitaram Yechury” was organised on January 11, 2015 (Sunday) on beach road from R K mission to VUDA park, a stretch of 2.5 km. The walk started at 6.30 am. A good number of Party members and well wishers of the Party took part. With slogans reverberating, Yechury walked along with many morning walkers. Being a Sunday, many morning walkers participated. In the evening, Yechury unveiled a pylon of 20 feet that was erected near the LIC building in the centre of the city. The pylon is wrapped with the photos of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin on one side and photos of Comrade P Sundarayya, M Basavapunnaiah, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, and all the founder PB members. Sitaram Yechury toured Visakhapatnam as a member of department-related parliamentary committee on Home affairs that was sent to assess the damage due to the recent cyclone, Hudud.