ORGANISATIONAL Plenum of CPI(M) will be held in Kolkata from December 27-31. The plenum will mainly focus on strengthening Party organisation to build up class and mass movements, making Party capable of mobilising people to resist the onslaught of communal forces. Thus, the Plenum is intrinsically linked with struggle for peoples’ interests.

With this political call in the mind, preparations for holding this Plenum are in the final stages now.

Incidentally, all three Plenums of CPI(M) have been organised in West Bengal. Soon after the formation of CPI(M) in 1964, Party had to work out its ideological positions. It could not be completed in 7th Congress due to prevailing political situation and was resolved only in Burdwan Plenum, held in 1968. That Plenum marked a historical break with both right revisionism and Left sectarianism within the Indian Communist movement. It thoroughly discussed the ideological issues of international Communist movement at that time and came out with a strong independent position.

Ten years later, with expanding movement, formation of Left led governments and with the potential opportunities for Party’s growth, the Plenum in Salkia in Howrah district was held. It was concluded that in a large country like India, CPI(M) has to widen its base and be large enough to advance towards its strategic goal. The call for building a mass revolutionary Party was sent from Salkia. It also set the task of building up all India mass organisations for different sections of people and formulated correct organisational principles.

The third one in Kolkata is being held obviously in different circumstances. In the recent period, Party has suffered setbacks, both electorally and organisationally. The strong outpost of West Bengal, in particular has experienced reverses and then faced tremendous attack for the last four and half years. The Party has not been able to expand as expected in states other than Kerala and Tripura. The impact of                  neo-liberal policies on classes, and on society in general has posed new challenges for the Party.

The Party in West Bengal has taken up the responsibility of holding this Plenum with determination. Despite all round attack from the ruling party and the state administration, Party in West Bengal has decided to take the challenge head on. The holding of the Plenum has been bonded with Party’s campaign on peoples’ issues and advancing resistance to the terror regime.

The Plenum will be held in the auditorium of Promode Dasgupta Bhavan in Kolkata. This building is the office of the Kolkata district committee. For the Plenum, the building is being decorated with two exhibitions and two platforms. One exhibition will present glimpses from Bengal’s history of rebellion and struggle. It will cover, in outline, nearly two hundred years of the glorious legacy. Another will record the atrocities perpetrated against the people in the four and half years of the TMC rule. Two platforms in a unique style will be devoted to Karl Marx and November Revolution. A documentary film on TMC regime, “‘Change’ and After” will be shown to all the delegates.

The formal opening of the session of Plenum will be preceded with a massive rally at Brigade Parade Ground on the 27th afternoon. CPI(M) state committee has called upon the people to make this rally historic and biggest ever in Kolkata. Signs are all too evident that the rally will be something spectacular. The call of the rally is “Oust TMC to save Bengal; Resist BJP to save India”. Intensive campaign in villages and towns has been organised. Wall writings, hoardings have carried the message. In the campaign for the rally, burning issues of peoples’ life and livelihood have been raised. Party workers have tried to reach to all the democratic, secular people of the state. Party state committee has given the call that people from all 77 thousand booths of the state would be mobilised in the rally. Campaign rallies have traversed through streets and lanes in every nook and corner of the state. On December 20, five colourful rallies were taken out in Kolkata. Tens of thousands of people participated in those rallies. Party leaders including Biman Basu, Suryakanta Misra were present in those enthusiastic processions.

The rally at Brigade Parade Ground will be addressed by Sitaram Yechury, Biman Basu, Manik Sarkar, Suryakanta Misra, Brinda Karat, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Md Salim. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will preside over the meeting.

The delegate session of the Plenum will start after the Brigade rally on the 27th evening itself. Altogether 445 delegates from all over the country will attend. The Plenum will continue up to December 31.

Though the main responsibility of organising the Plenum is vested with Kolkata district committee of the Party, all other districts are involved in providing logistics, food grains, vegetables for the smooth conduct of this important event in Party’s life.

There will be cultural programmes from December 28-30 in Esplanade area of the city. A rally of cultural activists will also greet the Plenum.