THE 17th State Conference of CPI(M) Madhya Pradesh was held from December 15-17 in the town of Mhow in Indore district. The conference was hosted by the smallest unit of the Party in Madhya Pradesh, where the majority of members are tribal and landless agricultural workers. Despite the fact that a large portion of its ranks often migrates elsewhere in search of work, the unit successfully organised this conference. The choice of Mhow, the birthplace of Babasaheb Ambedkar, as the venue for the state conference was particularly significant given the grave attacks by BJP and the RSS on the Constitution and democracy.

The formal inauguration of the conference took place at a venue dedicated to Tantya Mama, a symbol of tribal resistance. Party senior leader B B Guhathakurta hoisted the Party flag, followed by Condolence Resolution paying tributes to Comrade Sitaram Yechury, Comrade Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, and other prominent leaders, social figures, and martyrs who had passed away.

Before the delegate session of the state conference, a public meeting was held at Dreamland Square in Mhow.

The inaugural session was held at the Kesarsingh Malviya Auditorium and was opened by Subhashini Ali, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and in-charge of the state unit of the Party. Making a critical assessment of the Party in Madhya Pradesh, she noted that despite notable struggles on many fronts, the Party has yet to emerge as a political force in the state. She emphasized the need to transform activities into movements, struggles into organisation, and conduct a thorough review of Party work to take the necessary steps. She highlighted that tackling the challenges posed by the alliance of corporate power and Hindutva communalism requires CPI(M) to establish itself as a strong political force.

During the inaugural session, eight senior leaders who contributed their entire lives to the building and work of the Party in Madhya Pradesh were felicitated. Among them were J K Pippal, Ramprakash Tripathi, Sheikh Gani, and Ramlallu Gupta, who were present at the conference, while Vakar Siddiqui, S C Jain, Narayan Bhaskar, and tribal leader Premabai were honoured in absentia. Gratitude was expressed for their contributions, and a commitment was made to carry forward their work. Satyam Pandey extended greetings on behalf of the Communist Party of India, while a message of greetings from the Chhattisgarh CPI(M) state secretary M K Nandi was read out.

The conference, attended by 198 elected delegates, saw the presentation of the political and organisational report by state secretary, Jaswinder Singh. The report provided an analysis of the state's political situation, an assessment of other political parties, and a comprehensive overview of the actual conditions of the people. It detailed social conditions and their causes, reviewed the Party's interventions against social oppression, and critically examined all aspects of the organisation's functioning, including ideological work, publications, and other activities. The report also covered the activities of various mass fronts. Discussions on the report took place in two sessions, lasting approximately six hours, with 28 delegates participating in the first session and 23 in the second.

On the second day, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Ashok Dhawale addressed the conference. Highlighting the role of the Madhya Pradesh unit in struggles such as the farmers' movement, he emphasized that a Communist Party cannot exist without struggles. He asserted that the true measure of a movement's success lies not in its immediate achievements but in the strengthening of the Party. He noted that the rise of the RSS could only be countered through broad unity and cited the INDIA bloc as an example, which prevented the BJP from securing a majority in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

On the third day, CPI(M) Central Committee member R Arun Kumar intervened in the discussions. He addressed the conference drawing attention to global imperialist aggression and spoke about the rise of racist and extremist forces in various countries and their close alliance with international finance capital.

After the secretary’s reply to the discussions, the report was unanimously adopted.

A new 30-member state committee was elected unanimously, including a quarter of new members, with one vacancy and four women members. Among the special invitees, one was also a woman. The first meeting of the state committee re-elected outgoing secretary Jaswinder Singh as the state secretary. Representatives for the Party Congress were also elected.

In her concluding speech, Subhashini Ali elaborated on the international situation. She emphasized the importance of taking literature and publications that provide an alternative perspective to the masses on a large scale during this era of systematic ideological attacks. She called for campaigns against regressive practices and expressed confidence that the critical reviews and evaluations conducted during this conference would enhance the Party and its struggles in the coming years.

The conference passed resolutions against communalism, social oppression, displacement, and evictions. It also addressed issues related to agriculture and rural conditions in Madhya Pradesh, the state of the working class, privatisation in education, electricity, and hospitals, as well as the violation of the fundamental right to healthcare. In a separate resolution, the conference expressed solidarity with the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala and supported the campaign to be launched from December 20 to 30 by workers, farmers, and agricultural workers.

Presided over by a presidium comprising Promod Pradhan, Neena Sharma, Gayaram Singh Dhakad, Mangilal Nagawat, Zahoor Khan, and Lalta Prasad Kol, the conference also saw senior advocate Baboolal Nagar, chair of the reception committee, deliver the welcome address. Jasvinder Singh’s new book, One Nation, One Election: A Conspiracy to Break the Country and Twist Democracy, was also released. Finally, all the volunteers whose efforts made the conference a success, were felicitated.