CPM's 23rd Party Congress kickstarts at Kannur

Sitaram Yechuri inaugurated the Representatives' summit at EK Nayanar Nagar, urging the party leaders to take initiative to form a broader secularist coalition at the national level to oppose the BJP, which has been using religious polarisation for political gains.

Kannur: The 23rd Party Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) began in the historical Kerala town of Kannur on Wednesday, where the party's state unit was first formed in 1939, with Polit Bureau member S Ramachandran Pillai hoisting the flag. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechuri guided Ramachandran Pillai to the stage for flag hoisting and later senior leaders paid a floral tribute at the memorial of those who sacrificed their lives for the party.

Sitaram Yechuri later inaugurated the Representatives' summit at EK Nayanar Nagar, urging the party leaders to take initiative to form a broader secularist coalition at the national level to oppose the BJP, which has been using religious polarisation for political gains. He urged the Congress party and other regional parties to firm up their stand for such a coalition. CPI general secretary D Raja said that the economic policies of the BJP government have destroyed the country. He said RSS is a threat to the nation and only left parties could defeat RSS.

Speaking on the occasion, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Kerala is on a path to development and the opposition parties are only trying to stall the development of the state. CM brought the controversial subject of Silverline to the Party Congress stage and said that his government is trying hard to implement the project.

In total 812 participants are attending the party congress, including 17 Polit Bureau members, 78 Central Committee members, 640 party representatives, and 77 observers. Most of the party representatives are from Kerala, with 178 persons, followed by Bengal having a strength of 163 persons.

Apart from the party's senior leaders, noted short-story writer T Padmanaban, cinema actor Harisree Ashokan, musician Kaithapram Damodaran Namboodiri, actor Madhupal, and singer Sayanora Philip attended the function as invitees. The presentation of the draft political resolution and a discussion on it is the main agenda of the first day of the party congress. The main political resolution would be presented in the evening. Different states would present their political stand on the resolution during the presentation.

The role of Kerala's CPM and its leaders, especially Pinarayi, and its organizational capacity were on full display at the party congress venue during the inauguration function. The future of CPM, which is now being reduced to power only in Kerala, would depend on the resolutions they bring in during the party congress, and on decisions to strengthen the party.