THE 23rd Kerala state conference of the CPI(M) began on March 1, at Comrade B Raghavan Nagar (Marine Drive) in Kochi. The four-day conference from March 1-4, started with senior leader and Party state secretariat member Anathalavattam Anandan hoisting the red flag amidst thundering slogans. 400 delegates and 22 observers and Party workers and sympathizers gathered around the martyrs’ column and paid floral tributes. 

The inaugural session of the conference was presided over by Party Central Committee member E P Jayarajan. He placed the Martyrs resolution and Central Committee member A K Balan placed the condolence resolution.  Party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan proposed the names of members for the presidium and various other committees to run the conference. P Rajeev, chairman of the organising committee, welcomed the delegates.

Inaugurating the  state conference, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, “The only electoral weapon left in the hands of the BJP is sharpening the communal polarisation and central government’s focus is to advance the fascistic RSS agenda.  The election campaign in the recent elections is also focused on this agenda, which raked up controversies like hijab etc., to garner the support of the people.” He went on to add that the prime minister is going ahead with his vicious speeches sharpening the communal polarisation, which will weaken social harmony and destroy the unity and integrity of our country. The BJP -RSS are determined to move ahead in this dangerous direction to achieve the objective of a Hindu Rashtra. Instead of addressing the issues of the people, the central government has been using this weapon of social division.

Yechury further said that a strong movement of the people should emerge to safeguard the constitution of our country, and the secular democratic republic, and to protect the social harmony and unity and integrity of the country. More importantly, our objective of taking forward the Left and democratic forces and the alternative agenda and policies must be explained to the people, he said and added that it is essential in the present condition that the BJP should be isolated and defeated.

Kodiyeri Balakrishnan presented the report of the activities held in the last four years. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented the vision document regarding the development of the state for the next 25 years.

Polit Bureau members Prakash Karat, S Ramachandran Pillai, M A Baby, Brinda Karat and G Ramakrishnan are attending the conference.