Below we reproduce the text of the speech of CPI general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy at the inaugural session of the 21st Congress of the CPI(M) at Visakhapatnam COMRADE S Ramachandran Pillai, chairman of the Presidium, Comrade Prakash Karat, Comrade Debabrata Biswas, Comrade Abani Roy, Comrade Kavita Krishnan, Comrade Prabhas Ghosh, and comrade delegates, Let me at the very outset greet you all on behalf of the newly elected National Council of the Communist Party of India which just concluded its 22nd Party Congress at Puducherry. Let me also thank the Polit Bureau members of your Party, the biggest communist party in our country, for extending an invitation to CPI to take part in the inaugural session of your Congress here in the historic port city of Visakhapatnam, with a proud history of working class struggles. Coming fresh from the serious deliberations and an in-depth analysis of the past three years’ socio, economic and political situation, both national and international since the CPI’s 21st Congress held at Patna, I on behalf of the National Council want to underline the fact that a serious responsibility of saving our nation and people from the clutches of right reactionary communal and divisive forces has been trusted upon us by the recent political developments in our country. Our Party Congresses are being held in the background of deep crisis of World capitalism and Right reaction coming to power in our country. It is a fact that the representation of the communist parties in general and of the Left parties to Indian parliament had touched a miserable low in Independent India after the general elections held in 2014. We feel though it is a serious electoral set back, the people of India have not written off the communists. Instead in the struggle for an alternative to the then thoroughly disgruntled and discredited UPA-II led by the Indian National Congress, people opted for the only option then available namely the BJP and its front NDA, with the hope that things will change for the better once they assume power. Their hopes were belied and life soon became worse with unheard of challenges on our Socialist, Secular and Sovereign Republic. At present the people of our country are in a state of distress, frustration and are slowly turning to anger. This was amply proved when the verdict of the Delhi assembly elections went overwhelmingly in favour of the recently born Aam Aadmi Party. The BJP was reduced to a negligibly small group in the Assembly while the Congress party was routed. The Delhi election proved that the BJP and its rightist politics can be resisted and defeated if we can instill confidence among the people. The Left needs to take lessons from it. The call for stronger Left Unity and to strengthen it was the undertone that resounded at the entire deliberations held in Comrade C K Chandrappan Nagar in Puducherry and at the public meeting on the concluding day of CPI’s 22nd Party Congress. Also let me put on record that the presence of the top leaders of the Communist Parties of India including Comrade Prakash Karat in our Congress inspired not only our delegates but also the well wishers and friends of the Left movement, who later welcomed it through their messages to our party headquarters as a positive signal to Left unity, the most essential at this critical period of national crisis in all spheres of life. Hunger, unemployment, underemployment, suppression of democratic and human rights and cruel exploitation by capitalism are the stark realities of today. Capitalism is in deep crisis, particularly in the US and Europe. Free-market with its lust for super profits ended in bankruptcy of hundreds of banks and financial institutions, resulting in more unemployment, price-rise as well as misery to the people. In spite of the crisis, the wealth of the corporates and rich individuals is on increase and the gap between the rich and poor is abnormally increasing. The burden of the crisis is being ruthlessly thrown on the working people, poor and even on old-age pensioners. This pro-rich agenda is being implemented at the cost of the people – by denying the workers, farmers and the common people even the basic right to live and lead a decent life. The maiden full union budget of the BJP-led NDA government has pronounced the most inhuman deep cuts in budgetary allocations for education, health and social sector schemes. The rural employment programme under MGNREGA is being done away with, scrapping thereby the minimum governmental support that the poor have been receiving in rural India. The cruelest assault is on the farmers in the form of the amended Land Acquisition Bill 2015, with the prime minister himself batting with all vigour on behalf of the rich, corporate houses and the MNCs for the adoption of the amended Bill. It is against this severe offensive that our Party Congress has decided to observe May 14, 2015 as All India Protest Day against the draconian anti-farmer, anti-nation Land Act amendment bill. Our Party Congress called for unleashing class struggle under the united Left banner in the coming period. We believe this decade will be a decade of class struggles. I am sure that your Party Congress will discuss about Left unity and joint struggles. Let us independently and unitedly do everything possible as revolutionary parties to accept and defeat the challenges thrown upon us by the present NDA regime. Let us also assure ourselves that everything is not lost for us. As part of the family of international communist and workers’ parties, we should be proud of the signs of re-emergence of communist parties through great struggles in Europe. Unipolar, dictatorial methods of neo-imperialist forces are being challenged by the people. Massive strikes and demonstrations are taking place wherever the Left has a say. The recent elections in Greece have given a jolt to the European Union and the IMF. The Greek people’s assertion against austerity measures that hit the lives of the working sections badly, will surely inspire the people of Europe to fight back the onslaught of European Union against the common people. The increase in the strength of Communist Party of Russia, Japan and Nepal are to be noted with satisfaction. The consolidation of Left and socialist forces in Latin America, the admission of the US that its outdated economic blockade of Cuba was a failure are the historic victories of the people of Cuba and Latin America. So too the Jasmine Revolution, though watered down for the present, is the reflection of the anger of Arab masses, against the US puppet regimes of corruption and dictatorship. It is a volcano, which can break at anytime again. Imperialist forces are abetting rabid Islamic fundamentalist forces to unleash civil war between different sects of people so as to divert the attention of the masses from the mainstream struggles. The attacks of the ISIS terrorists armed to the teeth by the imperialist forces, resulted in the horrific blood shed and death of thousands of innocent people. Back to our nation, 28 crore people are suffering under utter poverty, living a miserable life while 25 per cent of the national wealth is being looted by 681 families or corporate houses. Peasants are in distress and hundreds of them are committing suicides to escape from the debt trap in Vidarbha, Telangana, Karnataka and other places. The governments refuse to accept these facts. On the one side corruption is on increase in the government departments as usual. The style of functioning of the prime minister is autocratic, secretive and individualistic. On the other side, Hindutva forces are unleashing an anti-minority terror campaign, in the name of ‘Ghar Vapasi’ a kind of re-conversions. Christian churches are being attacked and destroyed in Delhi and other places. Cultural terrorism under the guidance of Sangh Parivar is being practiced. Call to burn history books and to rewrite them according to their fancies, attack on scientific temper, artists and writers is being increasingly unleashed. The images of Mahatma Gandhi and other national leaders of national movements are being tarnished to replace with Godse cult. All attempts are being made to divide the country on religious lines to create tensions and fear psychosis, to divert attention from the major issues of the nation. Intolerance and hatred are on the increase. Com Govind Pansare, our senior leader of the party and an untiring fighter against rightwing forces, has become the first martyr after BJP’s takeover because of his relentless struggle against communalism and for spreading scientific temper. But the people are asserting against the anti-people economic policies and dirty tricks of communalism. The coal strike of all central trade unions (CTUs), the bank strike, the postal department employees strike, the proposed strike of central government employees, the call of CTUs for a for nationwide stir, the kisan struggles, etc, are only part of it. Secularism is to be defended at all costs to save the integration of our great nation. Democracy is to be defended. Hard-won rights of the working people and peasants are to be won back from the onslaught of the rich and powerful. Freedom of speech should be defended. Our Party Congress has underlined that to carry on this difficult battle, we need to win the confidence of the people. Left unity is the pre-condition for a broad Left democratic unity to be achieved. Let us unite and give confidence to the people. Also let us strengthen our bases. Let us unleash class battles on people’s issues and reconnect with them. The CPI is confident that we, the Left, shall overcome the difficult phase our nation is facing today and go ahead united with confidence and courage. The Left alone can protect our writers, historians, artists, religious and linguistic minorities, dalits, adivasis, peasants and all sections of working people who look forward to the Left with high hopes. Let us accept this challenge. Dear Comrades, the CPI(M) Party has become the main target of the TMC goons in West Bengal, resulting in a lot of murders, attacks, and burning of Party offices. CPI(M) and Left is fighting back this terror and striving for restoration of civil and democratic rights. We stand with you in this struggle for democracy. We assure our support and solidarity. We have to fight both against BJP and TMC in Bengal. But we are sure we will win the battle. Dear comrades, with these words I wish your Party Congress all success. Red Salute to You All. Long Live CPI! Long Live CPI (M)! Long Live Left Unity!