THE 24th State Conference of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Rajasthan was successfully held in Hanumangarh from December 13 to 15, 2024, with conference venues named as Sitaram Yechury Nagar, Brij Lal Bhadu Manch, and Bijla Singh Hall.

On the first day, December 13, a big rally and public meeting was organised. Thousands of people participated in the public meeting, with remarkable participation from women. The meeting was presided over by Atma Singh. It was addressed by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat and Central Committee member Vijoo Krishnan. Other speakers included state secretary Amra Ram, Party senior leaders Hetram Beniwal, Balwan Punia, Shopat Ram, Rameshwar Verma, and Sumitra Chopra.

After the public meeting, a rally was held, passing through the main streets of Hanumangarh.

The inaugural session of the conference began with the flag hoisting by Hetram Beniwal, followed by floral tributes at the Martyrs' Column.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and convener, Prakash Karat inaugurated the conference. Addressing the conference, he shed detailed light on the political situation in the country and the world. He elaborated on the political tasks facing the upcoming 24th Party Congress during these challenging times. The inaugural session was also addressed by the state secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Narendra Acharya.

The delegate session of the conference began with the election of various committees for conducting the conference. The presidium comprised Dulichand, Rameshwar Verma, Sumitra Chopra, Pemaram, and Usman Khan. Resolutions Committee, Minutes Committee, and Credentials Committee were also formed.

In the delegate session, Party state secretary Amra Ram presented the report of activities since the last conference to the present one.

A total of 72 delegates participated in the discussions on the report.

Addressing the conference, Brinda Karat said that the BJP, instead of learning from the lessons of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, continues to push the divisive politics of the RSS. Across the country, in the name of searching for temples beneath mosques, they are engulfing the common people in communal flames. From the prime minister and chief ministers to High Court judges and BJP leaders, they are violating the oath of the Constitution. She underlined the need to counter BJP’s divisive politics. Manipur is burning, yet the government remains silent. BJP leaders’ children study abroad, while the children of ordinary people don’t even have access to teachers, she said. The nation is grappling with a recession in trade and agriculture, along with skyrocketing inflation in essential commodities. In such a situation, CPI(M) is committed to strengthening people’s struggles on issues related to the lives of the common masses, she noted.

Vijoo Krishnan said that workers and farmers together constitute two-thirds of the country's population. Today, farmers are on the streets, facing batons and bullets since 2020, fighting for issues such as MSP guarantees, land acquisition, the problem of stray cattle, and the purchase of crops at government-declared prices. Workers are fighting against changes in labour laws, contractualisation, lack of minimum wages, and privatisation. Farmers, workers, and the common people of the country are suffering due to the anti-people policies of the BJP-RSS, while the country’s prime minister is busy delivering speeches.

In the conference, 72 delegates participated in the discussions on the report presented by the state secretary. After the state secretary’s reply to the discussions, the report was unanimously adopted.

The conference passed several resolutions and decided to launch struggles on these issues in the state.

A resolution was also passed against the neoliberal and communal policies being implemented by the BJP-RSS governments at the centre and in the state in the fields of education and employment. It was noted that these policies are privatising and communalising education. On the other hand, due to the national education policy and the privatisation and liberalisation policies in the employment sector, unemployment, underemployment, and insecure jobs are on the rise in Rajasthan.

The conference passed a resolution against the increasing atrocities on women and in favour of women's reservation and equality. Expressing serious concern over the rising crimes against women across the country and the state, the resolution emphasized the urgent need for concrete steps to prevent violence against women and ensure equality and rights for them as enshrined in the Constitution. It highlighted that in many parts of the state, women still fall prey to superstitions and are labelled as witches or subjected to similar stigmas.

A resolution was also passed demanding access to clean drinking water for all in the state. The resolution noted that even after 78 years of independence, the government has failed to provide clean drinking water to large rural and urban areas of the state. It condemned the neoliberal policies that are turning natural resources like water into a commodity for profiteering by capitalists, calling it a conspiracy against the public.

The conference passed a resolution against the privatisation of the electricity sector. It was stated that the steps taken toward privatisation are anti-people. The centralisation and commercialisation of the electricity sector under these policies will have a deeply negative impact on farmers, workers, and the poor. Electricity, an essential part of daily life, is becoming inaccessible for the common people due to these measures. The resolution also criticised the burden of installing expensive smart meters in place of old ones, calling for an immediate halt to this move and a stronger state-wide movement against it.

The conference also passed resolutions on various other importantissues, including: opposing privatisation and smart meters in the electricity sector; condemning the genocide being carried out by Israel in Palestine; demanding clean drinking water; opposing the deprivation of employment opportunities for tribal communities; demanding an increase in the state’s minimum wages for workers and condemnation of atrocities against dalits.

In the last session, the credentials committee's report was presented. A total of 206 delegates participated in the conference, including 15 women delegates.

A 35-member state committee was unanimously elected, with the three permanent invitees and six invitees.
The state committee elected Kishan Pareek as the secretary and an 11-member secretariat.