THE Kerala state conference of CPI(M), a prelude to the 22nd Party Congress, has culminated after scripting a new history of unity and a great advancement for the mass movement. Thrissur, the city of Pooram, has witnessed people turning up in lakhs for the public rally on February 25, the culminating day of the conference.

In Kerala, the right-wing forces are trying to impose their agenda on the society and their primary goal is to destroy the Left movement. They are helped in this endeavour by the right-wing media, through their planned attacks on the Party, class and mass organisations and also on the persons who are in leadership positions. Their aim is to destroy the credibility of the Party and its leadership. The Party in Kerala has defended itself and has successfully rallied people against the right-wing offensive and their anti-people policies, through continuous engagement with the burning issues that affect the lives of the masses.

The right-wing forces and their media cohorts have spent ‘valuable’ hours of their prime time and reams of newsprint for manipulating the mindset of common people against the Party. The stupendous success of the conference has proved the resilience and strength of the Left movement and the Communist Party in Kerala. The Party has scripted a new history of unity. Comrades from top to the bottom fought against factionalism and have successfully wiped out factionist tendencies.

The political report presented at the conference noted that the Party and the Left Democratic Front has advanced in the recent years, while the Congress led UDF has weakened and is in disarray. The RSS and the BJP have been trying to gain support and they have targeted the CPI(M) for physical attacks on its cadres and supporters. The Party has been firmly countering such attacks by strengthening and expanding the LDF.

The forty-five points announced as future tasks, include a task which would be hailed as an historic decision taken by the conference – the task of building homes for the homeless people in Kerala. Within one year, CPI(M) will construct 2,000 homes. Each and every local committee will construct a minimum of one home and this involves the participation of people from different walks of life. As a part of the ‘Haritha Keralam’ mission (Green Kerala Mission), the Party will take the initiative for launching a cleanliness campaign. Kerala is dotted with innumerable ponds, rivulets and rivers. Many of them need renovation and cleaning. It has been decided that 2,000 ponds all across Kerala and one river in each district will be cleaned. Each district committee shall take the initiative for cleaning one river of the district and each local committee will take the initiative for cleaning a pond and a rivulet.

Party is going to increase the reach of palliative care projects in the state. 2,000 palliative care centres will be established and in each centre, training will be provided for 10 members. In total, the Party will impart training to 20,000 volunteers for this initiative alone. Volunteers will visit homes and give care to bedridden patients. Local-level programmes against communalism will be organised together with the programmes to be organised by the government in connection with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Party will strive to promote welfare of the transgender community and will protect the rights of transgender people in Kerala. CPI(M) is committed to protect the interests of the under-privileged and the marginalised. The Party is also going ahead with programmes to ensure a qualitative difference in improving the lives of the people of Kerala.

The conference has envisaged the promotion of integrated organic farming in all the villages of Kerala. Party decided to take up initiatives for the development of government and government-aided schools. In each area, Party will take up the task of renovating one government hospital. PSC training courses will be arranged for the youth. Special training will be envisaged for the elected members of local self-government bodies.

The Party has also formulated special programmes aimed at increasing the Party’s contact with masses. It is also going to start house visits. As part of its programme, at least once in six months, every home will be visited by the Party leaders. It has also been decided that the local leaders should frequently visit the houses of poor and dalits to understand their problems.

The state conference has adopted 17 resolutions stating its positions on the burning problems of the day. Some of the resolutions adopted were for improving the lives of dalits and adivasis, for addressing the problems of fishermen community, for addressing the problem of unemployment, fighting the spectre of communalism and neo-liberalism, against communalisation and commodification of education, among others.

The first volume of the history of the Party in Kerala was released in the conference by Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan and he handed over the first copy to another Polit Bureau member S Ramachandran Pillai. The remaining volumes of Party history will be published in this year itself. EMS Academy, which functions as an informal university, will organise courses on Marxism and Leninism, with the participation and support of Marxist scholars of national and international repute.

The conference has elected a state committee with 87 members and five invitees. The conference also elected a control commission with four members. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was unanimously re-elected as the secretary of the Kerala state committee. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who has entered politics through student movement at the time of Emergency and was incarcerated under MISA, has been elected as the secretary for the second time.

After being re-elected as the secretary, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has stated that 89 per cent of the Party members have joined the Party after 1991 and in order to ensure that they retain the mass, revolutionary character of the Party, the Party would draw necessary action plans.

The conference was inaugurated by general secretary Sitaram Yechury. In his speech, he emphasised upon the need for fighting against neoliberalism and communalism. Prakash Karat, S Ramachandran Pillai, Pinarayi Vijayan, MA Baby, AK Padmanabhan and G Ramakrishnan were the other Polit bureau members who were present.

The Party flag signaling the inauguration of the conference was hoisted by veteran leader VS Achuthanandan on the first day of the conference ie, February 22. The conference which took place in a regional theatre, named as Dakshinamurthy Nagar, concluded on February 25.

At the venue of the public meeting, torch lights brought from the martyr columns, in memory of the 577 martyrs who lost their lives in the fight for the communist movement, were received by Pinarayi Vijayan, chief minister of Kerala on February 21. He lit the conference torch. The chairman of the reception committee, Baby John hoisted the Party flag at the venue of the public meeting.

Announcing the successful conclusion of the conference, 25,000 Red Volunteers marched through the streets of Thrissur city. Sitaram Yechury, inaugurated the public meeting at Thekinkadu Maidan, where more than two lakh people had participated.

The conference ended by giving a call to the masses of Kerala to unite and fight against the neoliberal and communal policies and to extend their support to the LDF government, which is unveiling an alternative path of development.