Below we publish the welcome address by BV Raghavulu, chairperson, reception committee

COMRADES and Friends,

Leaders of fraternal left parties, delegates, observers, guests, invitees, veterans, Friends from media and public,

On behalf of the Reception Committee, I welcome you all to this inaugural session of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) which is being held in this historic, cosmopolitan city of Hyderabad. Earlier, the 17th Congress of the Party was held here in 2002. Now, the central committee gave us the honour again,of holding the 22ndCongress in this city, in the newly formed state of Telangana.

As all of you know, people and the Communist movement in Telangana, in their own humble and modest way contributed to the struggles and movements for radical social change in the past. Even in the present trying circumstances, they are trying to push the struggle for social change in new directions.

We all remember the heroic Telangana Armed Peasants struggle and the sacrifices made by the people under the leadership of the Communist Party to overthrow the feudal Nizam rule. This great struggle brought the agrarian question to the centre stage of independent India’s politics. Several decades have passed and many changes occurred in agrarian conditions, but land question still remains relevant. Without resolving this problem satisfactorily, India cannot become a truly modern society.

In the recent period, huge mobilizations of peasantry and militant confrontations with the governments were witnessed throughout the country. In many of these peasant struggles, communists are in the forefront. These struggles for the rights of the peasants have to be further expanded, strengthened and deepened.

Let me recall, an important struggle that took place in 2000 against the structural adjustment programmes implemented under the guidance of the World Bank in united Andhra Pradesh.  On August 28, three youngsters were killed at Hyderabad in the brutal police firing unleashed by the then TDP government. This militant struggle put a spoke in the relentless wheels of structural adjustment policies pursued by the governments.

The present BJP central government led by Modi, which was selected by the corporate class as the best bet to carry on neoliberal reforms, is trying to bulldoze all opposition to these reforms. As was never before, the time has come now to mount an unrelenting onslaught on the neoliberal policies by all classes and sections. Only uncompromising, sustained struggle against neoliberalism can create an anti-communal, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist commonsense among the people, which will recreate environment conducive for the spread of ideas of socialism.

In order to weaken the unity of common people and their struggle against neoliberal reforms and delink the progressive forces from the people, Hindutva communal forces and the BJP central government under Modi, in the service of the exploiting classes, playing on the people’s anxieties and insecurities generated by market forces and unbriddled consumerism are trying to communalise every aspect of social life through aggressive and brazen promotion of their communal agenda. In these circumstances, mere work in electoral arena cannot wipe out communalism from social life. Only confronting communalism at all levels of civil society and social life can create ground for the growth of progressive, democratic, rationalistic and inclusive culture.

In the present conditions to forge unbreakable link with masses, there is no need to overemphasize the importance of the work in the fields of ideology, culture and social service.

As you all know, Communists were in the forefront of the intellectual, cultural, and social reform movements among Telugu speaking people from the beginning. Mobilisations against caste oppression and patriarchy and for communal harmony were used to be closely integrated with class struggles. This legacy is one of the important resource that is helping now to counter the communal forces in Telugu states. We promise to continue and scale up this work in the coming days.

Let me share with you a brief account of the work done by Vignana Kendrams with which we are associated with in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Our Sundarayya Vignana Kendram, which was established in Hyderabad in 1988, in memory of the great Communist and legendary leader of Telangana People’s Armed Struggle, Comrade P Sundaraiah, has become a centre of progressive, cultural and social service activities. Many other similar institutions came up in many parts of Telangana and Andhra. They are running generic medical shops, clinics, skill training and coaching centers, libraries, people’s art galleries. They are involved in organizing people oriented research, cultural and book festivals, medical camps, and relief activities during emergencies. They are promoting a broad spectrum of intellectual activities to counter the regressive ideology of the ruling classes. Our party units in both Telangana and Andhra are trying to scale up this work and to expand to all parts of the state.

At the present juncture, struggle for social justice assumes greater urgency and importance. As BJP and Sangh Parivar’s feudal, reactionary Hindutva communal elements escalate their ideological, physical attacks and violence on socially oppressed sections – dalits, artisans, tribals, women, minorities; as the neoliberal policies severely hit the weaker sections of the society hard – fight for their rights and for social justice assumes greater importance. Recognising this importance in our fight against communalism, in Telangana and AP we have been consistently taking up the issues of social justice, for the past two and half decades. As a culmination of these efforts for social justice, CPI(M) Telangana committee successfully organized Mahajana Padayatra for 154 days covering 4,200 kilometers, touching 1520 habitations and ending in a mammoth rally in Hyderabad.

This fight could become one of the important bulwarks against the BJP Sangh Parivar and their Hindutva communal agenda.

Struggle for the protection of democracy and democratic rights is also an important part of our fight for alternative politics and for mobilizing forces for building the Left Democratic Front. Our advanced outposts in West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala are targeted by communal and reactionary forces in order to eliminate Left forces from the country’s political arena. I take this opportunity to salute all those fighting cadre and people in these advanced outposts of the Left movement and appeal to all democratic and progressive forces in Telangana to stand in solidarity with them.

I would take the opportunity of this occasion to thank all those democratic, progressive organizations, personalities who are associating with us, helping and encouraging us in various ways in our endeavors in both the states of Telangana and Andhra. I also thank the people of Hyderabad, Telangana who, in most difficult circumstances, supported us to continue our struggle against exploitation and oppression. I thank all those who directly and indirectly helped us in organizing the 22ndCongress of CPI(M) in Hyderabad in a befitting way.

Dear delegates and observers, if there are any shortcomings from our side please bring to our notice.

Comrades and Friends,

Struggle is the essence of life. Class struggle is the driving force of history. As long as communists continue the struggle, nothing on earth can vanquish them.

Long live Marxism-Leninism

Long Live Socialism and Internationalism

Long Live Secularism, Democracy and Social Justice

Inquilab Zindabad