The Red flag sways high in the sky, the music plays brilliantly and vibrant revolutionary slogans rise above loud fireworks. Chairman of the organising committee, Politburo member and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hoisted the flag in AKG Nagar (Jawahar Stadium) in connection with 23rd Party Congress of CPI-M. On Wednesday morning party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury will inaugurate the Congress at Nayanar Academy. CPI general secretary D Raja will address the session. Including observers, 815 delegates will participate.
Flag was brought from Vayalar martyrs in Alappuzha by procession. Politburo member M A Baby handed over the flag to jadha captain M Swaraj, state secretariat member. In AKG Nagar, central committee member and Kerala Minister M V Govindan received the flag on behalf of the organising committee. The procession reached Kannur after receiving warm reception at various places in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. Athletes and many vehicles accompanied the rally.
The flagpole procession started from the martyrs land of Kayyur. M V Govindan handed over the flagpole to rally captain P K Sreemathi who is also a central committee member. K P Sathesh Chandren acted as the rally manager. In AKG nagar party central committee member K K Shailaja received the flagpole from the captain in the presence of state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishanan.
Even though Kannur is the district which has the highest number of party members in the country, it is hosting the Party Congress for the first time. It was in 1939, at Parapram in Pinarayi, Kannur, the first open meeting of communist party had taken place. After that, eight eventful decades had passed. The communist movement and its class and mass organisations have become the dominant force of this land. This has been achieved through so many militant struggles and mass agitations. In the arena of electoral politics also, Kannur is making big contributions to the Left Democratic Front.
All party workers and sympathisers are in high spirit and energy to welcome the delegates from all over the country. In every nook and corner red flags are flying. Attractive hoardings and wall paintings decorate the town. Different varieties of exhibitions and cultural programmes are attracting large crowds. More than 20 seminars are conducted on a wide range of issues. Women assembly, youth meet, sports and cultural competitions have become festivals of people. The resource mobilisation for the expense of party congress was done through hundi collection. In the runup to the Congress, Kannur again created history by observing Red Flag day in which the red flag was unfolded for a stretch of 23 kilometres by forming a mammoth human chain along the National Highway.
