Secular Kerala - People-friendly development : DYFI to organise rallies on Aug 15

Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) State secretary T.V. Rajesh said here on Wednesday that the DYFI would hold rallies raising the slogan of “Secular Kerala, people-friendly development” at 1,000 centres in the State on August 15. He said communal and terrorist forces were making deliberate attempts to wreck Kerala's secular heritage and communal amity.

He accused the National Development Front (NDF) of trying to foment hatred among people professing different religions and thereby create a communal divide in society.

He accused the Muslim League of having played a major role in the formation and growth of the NDF. The Joseph P. Thomas Commission that probed the Marad riots had recommended a probe by the CBI. Even though the State government had taken up the issue with the Centre several times, the CBI probe did not materialise due to the Muslim League's objection to it.

Threat to pluralism

The call by the laity to educate Christian children in Christian schools and the pastoral letters issued by them had inflicted heavy damage on pluralism and secularism in the State. The role played by the Sangh Parivar in the growth of religious extremism in the State was not small, he said.

He said the rallies would spread the message of “Resist religious terrorism; protect secularism.” It would be preceded by 1,200 padayatras from August 8 to 10 to mobilise support for the cause. The volunteers of the DYFI will visit every house in the State to spread the message.

Vijayawada gets ready for CPIM pleenum

The stage is all set for the extended central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to meet in the city between August 7 and 10.

Over 300 party volunteers are working round the clock to make the stay of 365 delegates who will be coming to attend the meeting from all over the country a pleasant and fruitful one.

Accommodation

They are also busy mobilising the public for a meeting to be addressed by the Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura and other national leaders on the concluding day.

State committee member and party floor leader in the VMC general body Ch. Babu Rao said on Wednesday that a committee had been constituted to receive delegates at the railway station. Most of the delegates would be provided accommodation in hotels and lodges located near Tummalapallivari Kshetrayya Kalakshetram, where the meeting would be held.

Though there was no air-conditioning facility for the auditorium, the party preferred it because the 11th all-India conference of the party was held at the very same venue in 1982. Ways of air-conditioning the auditorium on a temporary basis were being explored, he said.

Arrangements were being made to provide meal to the delegates in a temporary shed erected in the empty space behind the auditorium.

Party stalwarts like Putchalapalli Sundarayya, E.M.S. Namboodiripad, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, Makineni Basavapunnaiah, Moturu Hanumantha Rao and Koratala Satyanarayana attended the meeting held in the city in 1982.

On August 7, the meeting would begin with the unfurling of the party flag and an open session that would be addressed by the party all- India general secretary Prakash Karat. This would be followed by the delegates' sessions. Deliberations would continue till noon of August 10. The public meeting that would be attended by the three Chief Ministers and several Ministers from different states would begin at 3 p.m.

State secretary B.V. Raghavulu had already made three visits to the city to review arrangements for the national-level meeting. Party central committee member P. Madhu and Paturi Ramaiah, State secretariat members Y. Venkateswara Rao, S. Veeraiah and V. Krishnaiah had been camping here for the past few days to supervise arrangements.

The party planned several programmes as a prelude to the delegates' meeting. Red shirt and sari volunteers would take out a rally from the venue of the meeting to Swaraj Maidan. A programme of local folk art forms had been planned at Gymkhana grounds in the afternoon.