The 20th Kerala State conference of the Communist Party of India Marxist began on Tuesday 7th at the Harkishan Singh Surjeet Nagar (AKG Memorial Hall) making the capital city, Thiruvananthapuram to a virtual sea of red. 565 delegates representing the 3.70 lakh party members in the State is attending the conference. The delegates' session would continue till Friday and conclude with the election of a new State committee.
The delegates session of the conference, was inaugurated by CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat. Earlier senior party leader and Central Committee member Com. V S Achuthanandan, hoisted the red flag to mark the proceedings of the conference. Delegates and leaders escorted by the red volunteers paid floral tribute to martyrs who laid down their life for the cause of the people. The area was reverberated with thunderous slogans. party PB members, Com Varadarajan, Brinda Karat, S Ramachandran Pillai are attending the conference.
Flag Hoisted at the Public Meeting Venue
Yesterday The Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium in the State capital reverberated with slogans and the skies were lit up with fireworks as the flag of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] rose skyward as a prelude to the 20th State conference of the party .
Hundreds of CPI(M) workers and fellow-travellers shouted slogans shortly after conference organising committee chairman M. Vijayakumar hoisted the flag at the stadium, which was dressed up in red for the big moment. Flags and festoons filled the stadium, which got filled to a large extent well before the flag, flag mast, and torch reached there around 6 p.m.
The party flag was brought to the stadium from Kayyur, the land of legendary struggles in Malabar, by a jatha led by party Central committee member E.P. Jayarajan, and the flag mast from Vayalar, another scene of popular upheaval during the pre-independence days in Travancore, by another jatha led by CPI(M) Central committee member M.A. Baby.
The conference torch was brought by a team of runners led by party State committee member Anavur Nagappan from the memorial of the late Kattayikkonam V. Sreedhar in the suburbs of the capital.
Several senior CPI(M) leaders, including party State secretariat members P.K. Gurudasan and Anathalavattom Anandan and Left Democratic Front convener Vaikom Viswan, were present at the stadium to witness the hoisting of the flag.
