CPI(M) RAJASTHAN STATE CONFERENCE
Intensify Struggles against
Neo-Liberal Policies & Communalism
Rajendra Saiwal
THE 21st state conference of Rajasthan was held in Raisingh Nagar, a tehsil near Sri Ganganagar, from December 11-13, 2014. It was the first state conference held in India, before the 21st Congress of the CPI(M) to be held in April 2015 at Visakhapatnam.
The conference began with an impressive public meeting at the Ramlila Ground of Raisingh Nagar. Among those who addressed the public meeting included CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, secretariat member Hannan Mollah, Jogendra Sharma, AIKS president Amra Ram, state party secretary Basu deo, ex MLA Hetram Beniwal and ex MLA Pawan Duggal.
In his speech, Prakash Karat lambasted the neo-liberal policies pursued by the BJP and by the previous Congress government. Saying that the thinking of the Congress and the BJP was not different on economic policies, he decried both parties for their anti-people policies and wide spread corruption at all levels. He stressed on the need for massive people's struggle to resist the neo-liberal onslaught on common man and the rampage of communal forces in Rajasthan. He called for relentless militant struggles to be waged against such policies of the ruling class and pledged that the CPI(M) would play a leading role in those struggles.
Prakash Karat sarcastically referred about the achche din aanewale hain. He disclosed that in the last eleven months, property of Gautam Adani has increased by four times.
Hannan Mollah gave many instances which showed that Modi government is anti-poor, anti-labour and anti-peasants. He said it is the red flag which works for the poor.
Jogendra Sharma explained the continuity of the Manmohan Singh government’s economic policies with the Narendra Modi government as well.
On December 11, the proceedings began with Hetram Beniwal hoisting the red flag, followed by the delegates and observers paying homage to the martyrs at Comrade Krishna Kant Verma Nagar.
A presidium comprising Hetram Beniwal, Amra Ram and Sumitra Chopra was elected to conduct the proceedings.
All the members of secretariat were elected as the members of the steering committee.
Ravindra Shukla, Dulichand and Bhura Mal Swamy were members of the resolution committee. Rajendra Saiwal and Laxman Sen were the members of the minutes committee.
Ram Prashad Jangid, Raghuveer Verma and Sanjay Madhav were members of the credential committee as elected by the delegates.
Ravindra Shukla placed the martyr's resolution and the condolence resolutions.
CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat inaugurated the conference. In his inaugural address, he covered the international situation, the ongoing economic crisis and India's socio-economic situation with relevant data.
Prakash Karat said that the neo-liberal economic policy has increased the gap between the rich and the poor. Concessions have been given to big businessmen while the government has preferred to squeeze subsidies meant for the farmers and common man. Price rise and unemployment have been on the rise. The nexus between politicians-bureaucrats-capitalists and traders has been the main source of increasing corruption and scandals. To add to it, communalism and social oppression is creating hinderance to growing people's movement against all such anti-people policies.
Prakash Karat said that the BJP which had promised the creation of jobs as its prime election slogan has openly declared war on MGNREGA, the only demand-driven legal guarantee for employment of at least 100 days a year per family in rural India. The attack on MGNREGA is also a reflection of Modi's idea of development which is deeply committed to help the rich get richer.
Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar led thousands of people who sat on a dharna on November 26, against the attack on MGNREGA, informed Prakash Karat.
He called upon the delegates to overcome the weaknesses, create a sense of confidence in the minds of the people by building up movements on the issues being faced by the people, that it is the CPI(M) that is fighting against economic and social oppression and that it is possible to fight out these evils under the red flag. The economic and social issues have to be clubbed together to build up a powerful class struggle, he said.
While inaugurating the state conference, Prakash Karat congratulated the delegates, as it is the first state conference, before the 21st Congress of the party at Visakhapatnam.
Bhagirath Sharma, welcomed the delegates as a chairperson of the reception committee.
CPI state secretary Tara Singh Sidhu addressed the CPI(M) state conference emphasizing the need for unity of the Left forces in the current adverse situation and the importance of joint action to face the oppressive policies of the state and the central government.
The conference was attended by 211 delegates and six observers from the state.
The political organisational report was placed by Party state secretary Basu deo. In the discussion on the secretary report, 63 delegates participated. They shared their experiences in fighting oppression against dalits, taking up the issues of tribals, women, minorities, fighting against communalism and casteism. Party's intervention in getting crop insurance for the peasantry of Churu, need for strengthening party education for cadres were also discussed.
The delegates also discussed about the ways to sharpen the struggle against neo-liberal policies and emphasised the need for a strong leadership grounded in Marxism-Leninism.
On the second day evening, Prakash Karat, after observing the discussions, exhorted the delegates to strengthen the organisation, on the principle of democratic Centralism.
In the morning of the concluding day, Party state secretary summed up the discussions and later the political-organisational report was adopted by the house.
The 21st state conference adopted resolutions on contemporary issues like retrogressive changes in labour laws, land acquisition act, privatisation-communalisation and commercialisation of education, unemployment, irrigation water system, privatisation of education, health, electricity, roadways and mines area, loot of public property in the name of PPP model, increase in atrocities upon weaker sections of society, deterioration in law and order situation in the state, for Government Medical Colleges in Sikar and Sri Ganganagar which were passed unanimously.
Amra Ram has been elected as the new state secretary by the newly elected 33 member state committee.
The conference also elected seven delegates and one alternate delegate to the 21st Party Congress.
Hannan Mollah, central secretariat member of the Party, who was observing the conference for three days, made the concluding address. He emphasized on bringing the burning issues of the people of Rajasthan into the centre of politics and to intensify struggles. It was urgently needed that struggles against neo-liberalism and communatism be intensified.
The newly elected state secretary Amra Ram stressed on the importance of taking up local issues and gaining the confidence of masses through local struggles. Only when we stand with the people and fight for their cause can we rally even those people who are behind the enemy camp, said Amra Ram.
The 21st state conference of the Party has injected fresh blood filled with new hopes and enthusiasm.
Rakesh Tholia thanked the delegates on behalf of the reception committee.
The credential report was submitted by the convener of the committee and was passed unanimously.
Hetram Beniwal addressed the delegates on behalf of the presidium.
The conference also elected a three member Control Commission comprising Gurucharan Mod, Mangal Singh Yadav and Ravindra Singh.
CREDENTIAL COMMITTEE
REPORT
Of the total members who attended the conference, 211 were delegates and 6 were observers. The following are some of the details of the credential report.
Age of delegates: 18-30 years-21; 31-50 years-82; 51-70 years-88; more than 71 years-10
Education: Literate-17; 8th-21; 10th -51; Graduate-28; post-graduate-78
Party membership: 1955-1960-02; 1961-1970-02; 1971-1980-24; 1981-1990-55; 1991-2000-38; 2001-2010-36; 2011-2014- 06
B L Baphna and Hetram Beniwal joined the Communist Party in 1957 whereas Suresh Dhaka enrolled himself as a Party member in 2014.
Class: Labour- 17; peasants- 70; poor peasants - 03; lower middle class- 01; middle peasants- 07; landless labour-11; rich peasants-01; middle class- 98
Himachal State Conference of CPI(M) Begins
BRAVING the icy chill from the Himalayas consequent to the heavy snowfall, thousands of activists carrying the Red flag marched through the streets of the Shimla town in a rally marking the commencement of the 15th state conference of Himachal state committee of the CPI(M).
Addressing the rally CPI(M) general secretary, Prakash Karat drew attention to the twin attacks on the people of the country especially after the assumption of power by the BJP. One the one hand the neo-liberal policies which widen the gap between the rich and the poor are being implemented with greater vigour while on the other hand the BJP and its government is using communalism to strengthen its base which will be detrimental to the interests of the country.
Saying that the six month period of the Modi government has exposed that the acche din is only for the big capitalists and corporates, the CPI(M) general secretary said that the government is opening hitherto unthought of sectors like railways to 100 percent FDI. The government is hell bent on privatising strategic sectors like coal. He reminded the people that coal was nationalised by Indira Gandhi when thousands of workers were being killed because of hazardous work conditions and non compliance of security measures by private owners.
Prakash Karat condemned the moves to curtail and restrict the MGNREGA scheme by cutting down allocations and altering the nature of the scheme. He castigated the central government for increasing taxes on oil and increasing its prices even while there has been a 40 percent decline in international prices. In a bid to appease the US ahead of Obama’s visit to attend the Republic Day parade, the government is trying to increase FDI in insurance and the defence sector, he said. Karat called upon the people to fight back these policies.
The others who addressed the rally included Rakesh Singha, CPI(M) state secretary, Sanjay Chauhan and Tikender Singh Panwar, mayor and deputy mayor of Shimla. They lambasted the state government for pursuing the policies that are heaping huge burdens on the common people. They pointed out that the phenomenal fee hike in the university and colleges has rendered higher education beyond the reach of the common man.
