THE Eighth Chhattisgarh State Conference of CPI(M) was held on December 19-20, 2024 in in Vishrampur, a coal-belt area in the tribal region of Surajpur district. The venue was named as Sitaram Yechury Nagar and Buddhadeb Bhattacharya-Basudev Acharya Manch. The conference began with the hoisting of the Party flag by Gajendra Jha, the oldest delegate at 83 years of age, followed by floral tributes at the martyr's column.

The conference was presided over by a three-member presidium comprising Rishi Gupta, S C Bhattacharya, and R V Bharati. For the smooth conduct of the proceedings, committees were constituted, including the minutes committee, credentials committee, and resolutions committee. A total of 100 delegates elected from various districts and 10 observers participated in the conference. At the outset, a condolence resolution was adopted in memory of comrades who had passed away in the last three years.

The conference was inaugurated by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Ramchandra Dom. In his address, he emphasized the Left's commitment to transforming the society by establishing an exploitation-free, classless socialist society. He stressed the need to mobilise all exploited and oppressed sections of the population, intensify the fight against economic, social, and gender exploitation, and defend democracy, the Constitution, and secularism. Dom highlighted that the BJP-led government and capitalism fail to address basic issues such as unemployment, illiteracy, and poverty. BJP is resorting to communal and divisive politics and promoting unscientific and backward ideas to maintain power. He underscored that the Left's primary task is to challenge these regressive forces, spread scientific consciousness, and assert socialism as the solution to the country’s fundamental problems.

In his speech, Dom also criticised the Modi-led government, stating that the country is under the clutches of Adani and Ambani, with tribal and dalit communities and women enduring severe hardships. Farmers are being displaced, workers are subjected to unbearable exploitation, and the government is prioritising the Manusmriti over the Constitution. He called for mass mobilisation to protect the rights achieved thus far. He highlighted the success of the farmers' movement against the Modi government’s anti-agriculture policies as a model for resistance. Dom expressed confidence that the Chhattisgarh state conference would devise strategies to build unity on a large scale to counter divisiveness, communalism, and inequality while rallying people around alternative, pro-people policies, and work for strengthening the unity and organisation of the Left.

CPI(M) state secretary M K Nandi presented the political-organisational report, which analysed the political, social, economic, educational, and cultural situation in the state. The report highlighted, with concrete examples, the conspiracies being orchestrated to promote corporate communalism. It exposed how communal elements and cow vigilantes, acting under the protection of the government, are taking the Constitution and the law into their own hands. It also shed light on the increasing challenges faced by dalits, tribals, and weaker sections due to the BJP's anti-people policies. The report directly held the ruling BJP, its controlling organisation RSS, its affiliated bodies, and complicit administrative officers responsible for engaging in unconstitutional actions.

The report noted that, following the BJP’s setback in the Lok Sabha elections and its subsequent formation of the state government, the campaign for communalisation in the state has intensified. Festivals and celebrations are increasingly weaponised for communal purposes, and targeted restrictions are being imposed on the Muslim minority community. In areas where Christians are a small minority, including tribal regions, there has been a sharp rise in attacks and harassment against them under various pretexts. These divisive activities are deliberate attempts to divert public attention from corporate profiteering by entities like Adani and Ambani, as well as from the growing hardships of ordinary people, including unemployment. The report underscored the close nexus between communal forces and corporate capital and called for intensified movements against the worsening plight of the people. It also emphasized the need to safeguard secular, constitutional democracy by resisting the intrusion of religion into politics.

The CPI(M) resolved to strengthen its struggle against social oppression, and  campaign for land rights, employment, education, and economic opportunities while building awareness on gender and caste issues. The Party aims to combat attempts to reshape tribal culture and beliefs to serve communal agendas, mobilise against the exploitation of dalits, prioritise organising women, and intervene actively in incidents of exploitation and attacks on people. To achieve these objectives, the report identified organisational weaknesses and proposed strategies to overcome them.

The delegates voiced their anger over the continuous deterioration in the condition of socially deprived communities, particularly women, dalits, and tribals, in the state. They noted that since independence, Chhattisgarh has seen no decisive effort to dismantle the feudal relations and mindset that have dominated its politics. Key steps such as land reforms, the eradication of untouchability, and ensuring education and equality for all – clearly mandated by the Constitution with defined timelines – have largely been neglected. Delegates lamented that Chhattisgarh has earned the reputation of being a "rape state," where, paradoxically, increased rhetoric about women’s empowerment has been accompanied by a rise in violence against women, minor girls, and the elderly. The state also has a disgraceful record of atrocities against tribals. Delegates highlighted how certain backward caste groups are being manipulated to harass dalits and tribals, even as feudal forces continue to target these OBC communities.

The conference discussed pressing issues, including the skyrocketing costs of farming, inadequate irrigation facilities, privatisation of electricity through smart meters, and the non-availability of fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides on time. Delegates condemned the government’s apathy during natural calamities and flagged the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana as a massive scam. They noted the near-collapse of Mandi purchases, the failure to secure even the already insufficient Minimum Support Price (MSP), and the resulting exodus of farmers from agriculture. These problems have led to a shrinking rural market, increased migration, rising unemployment, and a growing gap in access to education and healthcare for the poor. Delegates stressed the urgent need to launch a unified movement to halt the decline of agriculture and alleviate the plight of farmers.

Following the state secretary's reply to the discussions, the report was adopted unanimously. The conference outlined key priorities: strengthening the Party’s independent political strength and its ability to intervene effectively, launching result-oriented movements on local issues, and mobilising secular, Left, and democratic forces. The Party also committed to intensifying struggles against the communal-fascist policies of the RSS-BJP and their Hindutva agenda, combating the adverse effects of liberalisation on livelihoods, and addressing attacks on women, tribals, dalits, and minorities. Protecting human rights and building worker-peasant unity were identified as essential tasks. To achieve these goals, the conference resolved to build a strong Party organisation, from branch to state levels, and to amplify the Party’s struggles and interventions through social media while focusing on the large-scale political education of Party cadres.

According to the report presented by Credentials Committee convenor, DVS Reddy, the youngest delegate at the conference was Shivam Singh, aged 19. Most of the delegates joined the Party after 2010 and are actively engaged in trade unions, agriculture, and tribal fronts. A significant number of representatives were below the poverty line and involved in farming and labour. Among the delegates, 48 were tribals, 8 were dalits, 24 belonged to backward classes, and 3 were from minority communities. The report emphasized the need for large-scale education and training of Party cadres and mobilising economic resources to expand the Party's reach and impact.

The conference elected a 23-member state committee and a 6-member secretariat, with 2 vacancies. Bal Singh, a young tribal leader, was elected as the new state secretary of the Chhattisgarh CPI(M). Most of the state committee members are under 50 years old. The conference also elected four delegates and two alternate delegates for the Party Congress.

The conference concluded with an address by Jogendra Sharma, Party Central Secretariat member. He emphasized that the CPI(M) stands firmly for democracy, secularism, social justice, and equality. He noted that the CPI(M) continues to fight at both ideological and grassroots levels against the communalism and corporate conspiracies of the RSS-BJP while presenting a pro-people Left alternative to the anti-people capitalist politics. He stated that capitalist forces seek to destroy the Party, but they have failed because of its strong roots among the poor and hardworking people of the country. He reiterated the Party’s commitment to mobilising all justice-seeking forces in Chhattisgarh to defend the Constitution, combat economic exploitation and caste discrimination, and strengthen the Party organisation.

The conference passed several resolutions, including those against communalism, rising inflation and unemployment, the oppression of women and girls, attacks on tribals, dalits, and minorities, and the imposition of dictatorship through the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal.

The event also featured impressive cultural performances by rural children on both days. The conference concluded with a vote of thanks from the state committee to the reception committee and the Surajpur district for their efforts in ensuring the smooth conduct of the conference.