A preparatory meeting on the arrangements for the 21st Party Congress of the CPI(M), to be organised at CMR Function Hall in Visakhapatnam from 14-19 April, 2015, was held on 20 December. Andhra Pradesh state secretariat member Ch Narasingarao chaired the meeting and Polit Bureau member B V Raghavulu attended it. In the meeting, the formation of various sub-committees that will undertake the organisation of the Party Congress, was announced. An exhibition depicting the history of the Party has been planned. It will feature a book exhibition, which will be attended by more than 200 publishers, as well as a cultural fete and a sports gallery. The entire event has been named the “Vizag Fest”. The fest will be headed by MVS Sarma, member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council. At the call of Raghavulu, many people came forward and made their contributions to the leader on the dais with spontaneity and enthusiasm. Rs 7 lakh was collected on the spot. A total collection of Rs 1.5 crore has been envisaged. The meeting was also attended by the district secretaries of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram. After the meeting, Raghavulu went and examined the proposed accommodation for the delegation. He also the proposed venue of the 21st all India conference and discussed with the local leadership the preparations for the conference. Explaining the importance of the ensuing Party Congress, Raghavulu said the coming all-India conference is going to be historic as it will be the platform to discuss and decide the future political line of the Party . Addressing the gathering, Raghavulu said CPI(M) was the only party which can save this country from communalism and from the onslaught of policies of liberalisation, globalisation and privatisation. He also elaborated on the political situation prevailing in the state as well as the country. He said if there is a dream for the country to become a superpower in the world, it is possible only through the alternative policies that are being propagated by the Left, and not with the policies being pursued by the present government. So it is a necessity that the Left parties must be strengthened. To fight exploitation of the poor too, the Left parties must be strengthened. India could face the 2008 global economic crisis because of the public sector and strong fundamentals of banking and insurance sectors, etc. But now the NDA government led by BJP, which has come to power (with just 31 percent of votes) riding on propaganda by corporate and communal forces, is going with jet speed to sell away the PSUs. Labour laws are sought to be amended by the BJP to weaken the working class and give more fangs to the corporate forces for exploitation. This can only be stalled by giving more strength to the Left parties. ‘Make In India’ is a shallow slogan. Unless the internal market is strong and active the manufacturing or any other sector will not make any advancement. It becomes reality only when the people’s purchasing power is increased. Referring the ghastly killing of 150 schoolchildren in Pakistan by the Taliban, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau member said communalism or terrorism has no religion, caste or creed. Centuries ago, Shaivas and Vaishnavas killed each other in thousands in the name of religion. Let us not allow that to happen again. Today the majority communalism is gaining strength, endangering the very secular fabric of our country. Speaking on affairs of Andhra Pradesh, Raghavulu said the chief minister is eager to have a Singapore-model capital without taking into account the ground realities. Singapore is a small city and nation. Why the chief minister is eager to have experts from Singapore? Is there a dearth of intellectuals and engineers in our country? he asked. The ensuing conference will discuss all this and that is why it is going to be historic, Raghavulu said and appealed to each and every one to come forward and make the 21st Party Congress a resounding success.