Md Amin Nagar (Hyderabad) > Mallu Swarajyam, veteran revolutionary leader of the historic Telangana anti-feudal armed uprising hoisted the red flag of the CPI M 22nd Congress in Hyderabad marking the beginning of this significant gathering of 765 elected delegates and 74 observers of the CPI M from all parts of India. The Party Congress will be in session from April 18-22.
The inaugural session chaired by Manik Sarkar started with a solemn homage to those who passed away during this period and paid tributes to the 32 comrades of West Bengal brutally killed by the TMC, the 14 comrades of Kerala martyred by the killer-gangs of the RSS and also the two comrades in Tripura killed by BJP goons since the assembly elections.
The conference was inaugurated by Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary, after the welcome speech on behalf of the Reception Committee by its Chairman B V Raghavulu.
General Secretary Sitaram Yechury's inaugural address
In his speech, Sitaram Yechury said that the 22nd Congress of the CPI M is convening in a period when the people and our secular democratic republic face multi-fold challenges. The central government lead by BJP whose reins are controlled by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh is pursuing policies that have imposed unprecedented miseries on the people and, at the same time, grievously threatening the unity and integrity of our social fabric. The dehumanisation of our society is seen in the chilling incidents of rape in Kathua and Unnao recently. It is shameful to see rape being used as weapon for communal polarization. This must be resisted and defeated.
The assault of neo-liberal economic policies has assumed unprecedented dimensions. The sharpening of communal polarization is tearing asunder the unity of our social fabric as never before.
I am confident that this 22nd Congress of the CPI M will give a new direction to our Party for strengthening the independent activities of our Party for intensifying people’s struggles and political intervention; for strengthening the unity of the Left forces and for strengthening the forging of the unity of the Left and democratic forces. In the final analysis the answer to these challenges is the policy alternative that can only be provided by the Left and democratic forces - he said.
The Conference saw the reflection of Left unity in the growing struggles of the people - in the presence of leaders of six left parties, Comrades Sudhakar Reddy, General Secretary of CPI, Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary of CPI(ML), G R Shivashankar, Secretary, Central Committee of AIFB, Manoj Bhattacharya, member of Central secretariat of National Committee, RSP and Asit Bhattacharyya, member, Polit Bureau, SUCI (C).
The inaugural session concluded with the address of the Chairman Manik Sarkar, who said that the BJP government has been pursuing the very obnoxious policy of divide and rule. They destroy cherished cultural ethos of secularism, attack our democracy and acting as junior partner of US imperialism. Working class, peasantry, agricultural workers, students, youth, women, especially Muslim minorities and dalits are under severe attack - he said.
Keeping this in mind, as a humble but important contingent of the Left forces in India, the CPI M has to evolve a proper political tactical line to be pursued in the coming days vigorously to fulfill the desire and aspirations of the common people of our country, to isolate and ensure defeat of the BJP-RSS combine. But, obviously, this has to be done without compromising our principled position as well as social and class outlook – he added.
The delegate session started with the unanimous election of various committees for the functioning of the Party Congress proposed by Sitaram Yechury.
