SUNDARAIAH Skill Development Centre was inaugurated on July 27 at Amaravati, the capital of Andhra Pradesh. Prakash Karat, editor of Peoples’ Democracy and the Polit Bureau member of CPI(M) inaugurated the centre. Hundreds of cadres and well wishers of the communist movement attended the function. Prakash Karat unveiled the opisthograph symbolically. P Madhu, K Ramakrishna, state secretaries of CPI(M) and CPI respectively, and many leaders participated in the inauguration function.The meeting was presided over by MVS Sarma, editor of Prajasakti. V Krishnaiah, president of Prajasakti Sahitya Samstha and others spoke on this occasion. Prakash Karat in his speech congratulated the efforts of the state leaders for establishing such a centre in pursuit of inculcating and strengthening the ideological, political capacities of young people.

Prakash Karat explained about the consolidation of right-wing forces in the 17th Lok Sabha elections and about the three-pronged attack of ‘hindutva’, neoliberal economic policies and the authoritarian onslaught. The big bourgeoisie and the international finance capital are behind Modi and hence, the government has been doling out peoples’ wealth to the corporates. The wealth of big corporate houses like Ambani’s and Adanis’s have risen many folds in the last five-year rule of BJP. Disinvestment of public sector and rampant privatisation are on the rise, he said. Mob lynching incidents have been increasing in various. Curbs on democratic rights, civil liberties, and undermining the constitutional bodies mark the rule of the central government.  Attacks on dalits and minorities were growing, particularly in the northern and western India in the wake of the BJP’s coming back to power. However, the attacks were underplayed by the police and the administration, he said.

Karat spoke about the labour codes, UAPA amendments etc., and their implications. The BJP-RSS have deep networks among the people and influence them in ideological, cultural and all other spheres. Strangely, the Congress leaders tried to project themselves as “better Hindus” than those in the BJP, but their efforts backfired as the saffron party had “successfully injected communal consciousness among the electorate.”  One cannot combat the BJP-RSS onslaught only through electoral tactics, Karat said. The fight against Sangh parivar forces should go on simultaneously in ideological, political and cultural planes, he said and expressed hope that the Party centre will help in training the cadres and youth to fight back the offensive of the ruling classes by equipping them ideologically, politically and culturally.

The centre, a four-storey building, was constructed in 1,500 square yards. It consists of two halls/auditoriums, library, computer laboratory, kitchen, dining hall and dormitories.

Prakash Karat addressed another meeting in the evening at Vijayawada on the current political situation. The meeting was presided over by P Madhu, state secretary of CPI(M). The auditorium in MB Vignana Kendram was tightly packed, despite rain. In that meeting he said, “the saffron party will pursue its hindutva ideology and neoliberal economic policies more aggressively in the days to come, and try to eliminate the opposition parties by using money power and intimidate them by implementing its draconian laws against the leaders opposing it,”. The BJP would engineer defections like it did in Karnataka, Goa, and Telangana. In Andhra Pradesh too it had encouraged four TDP Rajya Sabha members to join the national party, he said.