THE Delhi unit of Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch (DSMM) organised a welcome meeting for K Radhakrishnan, DSMM national president, after his election to the Lok Sabha from Alathur, Kerala, in the recently concluded national elections.

Coming from a Scheduled Caste family, Radhakrishnan is CPI (M)’s sole member of parliament from Kerala. He has been a minister twice and was the minister of SC/ST welfare, parliamentary affairs, and Devaswoms in the current Left Front government. He previously served as speaker of the state assembly between 2006 and 2011. He defeated the Congress candidate by almost 20,000 votes in this year's Lok Sabha elections.

The welcome meeting was organised on June 30 at HKS Surjeet Bhavan in New Delhi. Several leaders from various state units of DSMM also participated in welcoming Radhakrishnan. The meeting was presided over by Delhi DSMM president Brahamjeet Singh. Subhashini Ali, national vice president of DSMM and Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M), was also present.

Leaders from various other mass organisations, including the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), and All India Agricultural Workers’ Union (AIAWU), also facilitated Radhakrishnan.

Dastak, SFI’s cultural group, presented revolutionary songs before the meeting formally commenced. They sang about people’s struggles against oppressive structures, equality and justice, and hopes of revolution.

The meeting opened with Subhashini's address. She congratulated Radhakrishnan on his victory and noted his contributions to the popular movement in Kerala both as former speaker of the state assembly and as a minister. She emphasized that Radhakrishnan now has a greater responsibility to represent people's issues in parliament. She highlighted that, thanks to the united fight, the BJP lost the majority in parliament. However, she cautioned that this does not mean threats to democracy and the constitution are over. Given the unwillingness of others, the Left remains the sole force to stop the RSS and its Manuwadi agenda.

K Radhakrishnan addressed the gathering, underlining that only the CPI(M) can address the issues of social and economic justice in the country. Party's work on the ground among the marginalised and exploited sections of society, is a testimony to this fact.

He stated that Kerala has already made significant advances in providing a dignified life to all. However, extreme hunger and poverty remain issues. He expressed pride that the Left Front government in Kerala has decided to eradicate extreme forms of hunger and poverty from the state by the end of its second term in power. He highlighted that the Left Front government conducted a survey which found that 64,006 families in the state were still living in extreme poverty. The government has identified these families and resolved that by November 1, 2025, all of them would be lifted out of poverty and hunger, and no one in Kerala would be living in such dire conditions anymore.

Radhakrishnan said that the recently concluded national elections were very significant for the future of democracy in the country and that CPI(M) fought with all its might to defeat the anti-people, anti-constitution, and pro-corporate parties and candidates. He resolved that the fight will continue even after the election. As a representative of the people, he will continue the struggle to eradicate inequality and strengthen the popular movement both inside and outside parliament.

Nathu Prasad, secretary of Delhi DSMM and national joint secretary, concluded the meeting with his speech. He mentioned the urgent need to take the fight for equality and against injustice to the streets. Mere words cannot stop the corporate and Manuwadi onslaught on social and economic justice in the country. He noted that rising atrocities against Muslims and SC/STs in the country under the Manuwadi forces in power are challenges which every cadre of the DSMM understands and is resolved to fight. He acknowledged Radhakrishnan's contribution to strengthening the movement so far and expressed hope that he will continue the fight both inside and outside parliament in the coming days.king your text for mistakes...