“THE Narendra Modi-led RSS/BJP regime is sharpening attacks on the federal structure of the constitution, as Maharashtra is experiencing consistently”, said Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the CPI(M), inaugurating the 23rd Maharashtra State Conference at Nagpur on March 20, 2022. Narasayya Adam, State Secretary and Central Committee Member of the Party presided over the function.

“Federalism is one among the four pillars of the constitution, the other three being secularism, economic sovereignty and social justice which the corporate Hindutva forces are trying to dismantle in their attempt to loot the national wealth of the country under the guise of Hindu Rashtra,” said Yechury.  Regaining the reigns of the country in 2019 for the second time, he explained how, based on the appeals of ultra Hindutva nationalism, the BJP government intensified its attack on secular principles by enacting anti-Muslim CAA followed by the abrogation of articles 370 and 35 A and dismembering the state of Jammu and Kashmir because it was the only Muslim majority state in India, he pointed out. Yechury further elaborated this point by referring to the patent falsehood and hatred being spread through a film like ‘Kashmir Files’. Pointing out that actually, as per official police reports, while 89 Kashmiri pandits were killed, which was condemnable, 1635 people belonging to other faiths including a large number of Muslims were also killed by the terrorists, he went on to ask why these facts were missing from this movie. This is not freedom of expression, but freedom to spread hatred against the minority community.

Yechury then went on to explain how enactment of the three anti-farmer, pro-corporate farm laws and four labour codes were forced on people throwing to the wind not only parliamentary procedures but also undermining the federal principle since the rights of the states were trampled upon by these measures. After returning to power in four states in the recently concluded round of assembly elections, the Modi government is likely to bring back those farm laws once again by subterfuge and deception. The people of Maharashtra, especially of the Vidarbha region, ‘the farm suicide capital’ of India should wake up to this reality and rise once again to bring the BJP government to its knees, he appealed.

Cautioning the Mahavikas Aghadi government of Maharashtra against enacting similar laws, Sitaram Yechury called upon the toiling people to close ranks, defying attempts of division on the lines of religion, caste and social identities in their fight to save their livelihood. 

The Party general secretary came down heavily on the BJP government’s aggressive pursuit of the neoliberal economic trajectory which is blatantly selling out the national treasures. “It is not just selling the family silver, it is selling the house itself,” he quipped. Pointing out that 10 richest persons own 57 per cent of the wealth in the country, he explained how the Modi dispensation at the centre is intensifying the inequality and piling misery on the huge mass of the population. This horrible inequality, along with unprecedented unemployment, especially among the huge numbers of youth and ever growing prices of essential commodities can be ultimately overcome only by a radical people oriented change in policies. Instead, the government is on a spree of privatising national assets through its various policies.

He stressed the positive contribution by the Left Democratic Front government of Kerala in providing economic succour to people during the pandemic and also containing it. Sitaram Yechury exhorted that only socialism can solve the problems before humanity. However, for a socialist resurgence, we must win the fight to save the four pillars of the Indian constitution, because the march to socialism would be impossible without these constitutional guarantees, he said concluding his wide ranging speech.

Nilotpal Basu, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M), stressed the need to counter the Hindutva ideological attacks by strengthening scientific and rational  temper and traditions.

Ashok Dhawale, Central Committee member of the Party and national president of AIKS, stressed in his speech how people’s struggles can thwart the government’s pro-corporate, anti-people policies.

Vijay Jawandhiya, a renowned farmer leader and the chairman of the reception committee, while welcoming the delegates of the conference dwelt in his speech on the democratic heritage of Nagpur city and Vidarbha, especially recollecting the Dhammachakra Parivartan, adoption of Buddhism by lakhs of dalits under Dr Ambedkar’s leadership at Nagpur in 1956. He brought out in his speech the unequal nature of capitalist development generating wide gaps between urban India and rural India.

Prof S V Jadhav, leader of the Peasants and Workers Party, and Tukaram Bhasme, state secretary of the Communist Party of India extended fraternal greetings to the conference. Shyam Gohil, state secretary, CPI (ML-Liberation) had sent his greetings message.

Introductory remarks were made by Arun Latkar, secretary of the Nagpur district committee of the Party and Uday Narkar, state secretariat member, proposed the vote of thanks.

March 20, the day the conference began, was the 95th anniversary of the historic Chavdar Lake Satyagraha to assert the right of dalits for drinking water from public water bodies, organised at Mahad in Raigad district of Maharashtra by legendary leader Comrade R B More, and led by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. It was also at Mahad on December 25 in the same year 1927 that the hated text 'Manusmruti' was publicly burnt under the leadership of Dr Ambedkar. The inaugural session began by paying floral tributes to the image of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

The session was marked by another touching ceremony. Madhav Hari Hatiwlekar (1911-1997) was a veteran leader of our Party from Amaravati, a district in the Vidarbha region. His son Prashant Hatiwlekar (1942-1993) too was a leader of the Party. The third generation is also involved in the Party in various capacities. The Hatiwlekar family donated Rs 2.5 lakh to the Party state committee on this occasion. Their gesture was appreciated by thunderous applause by the audience.