SFI 14th National Conference Delegate Session

SFI 14th National Conference Delegate Session began on 5th of September at the Com. Somu - Sembu Nagar. The delegate session was inaugurated by noted scholar Prof. C P Chandrasekhar. He spoke on the various aspects of Education sector, during the era of globalisation. Earlier SFI All India President Com. P K Biju MP hoisted the flag to formally open the delegate session. After that delegates paid floral tribute to the martyrs. Com. P K Biju presided over the inaugural function. CPIM P B Members Com. Sitharam Yechury and Com. K Varadarajan greeted the delegates. Com. R Vaigai, Com. N Sakarayya also spoke on the ocassion. Later SFI All India Secretary Com. Ritabrata Banarjee palcced the organisational report for discussion. 750 delegates from various parts of the country is participating in the conference. 

On the second day of the conference CPIM General Secretary Com. Prakash Karat greeted the delegates. On Thursday evening former office bearers of the organisation were felicitated. Com Prakash Karat, Com. Sitaram Yechury, Com. Biman Basu, Com. Nilolpal Basu, Com P Krishna Prasad, Com. M A Baby were present during the function.

Com. P Sundarayya Birth Centenary Celebrations begins in Kerala

One year long Birth Centenary Celebrations of the stalwart of the Communist Movement in India, Com. P Sundarayya began with a One day seminar organised by the AKG Centre for Research and Studies in Trivandrum. 1400 Delegates participated in the seminar. The seminar was inaugurated by CPIM General Secretary Com. Prakash Karat. He said that popular criticism notwithstanding, the strength of his party was the system of democratic centralism under which it functioned.

He said even intellectuals close to the party had started suggesting that it should review the system. The criticism was that democratic centralism could lead to an authoritarian kind of functioning. Com Karat said the party workers should make sure that, in implementing democratic centralism, they upheld the basic principles governing it. This could be achieved only by heightening the ideological and organisational awareness about the system. Above all, the party workers should learn from the model set by Sundarayya, he added, describing the life and work of the leader, who was among those responsible for organising a national communist party in the country.

He said the CPI(M)’s ability to mobilise the people for effective political and ideological battles was mainly because of its system of functioning. This was the reason why its political opponents chose to criticise the style and manner of functioning that militated against the basic principles of democratic centralism. On the one side, they were wont to attack the party by using the term ‘Stalinism’ to describe democratic centralism. And, on the other side, they would dub the debates happening in the party’s centralised democratic system as a sign of conflict. He said the system in the party permitted party committees at all levels to discuss any issue before coming to a decision. While ensuring this democratic freedom, they should also obey the decisions of the committees at the higher level. The party derived its strength from criticism and self-criticism, he said.

CPIM Kerala State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan presided over the seminar and spoke on the role played by Com Sundarayya in the formation of Communist party in Kerala. CPIM P B Member and Andhra Pradesh State Secretary Com B V Raghavulu presented a paper on the work of Com Sundarayya . Com V.S. Achuthanandan placed a paper named " Com Sundarayya and the Kisan Movement, CPIM P B member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan spoke about the role played by Com Sundarayya in protecting the party from Left and Right deviations.  On the second session noted scholar from ISI Kolkota Prof. V K Ramachandran placed a paper on the "Agrarian Relations in India". PB Member Com. M A Baby spoke on the work of Com Sundarayya in the formation of Students federation.

Sivakasi Tragedy

CPIM PB Member Com. Sitharam Yechury visiting the injured people in hospital

CPIM State Secretary Com. Ramakrishanan visiting the injured people

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses its grief and concern over the huge loss of lives in the fire accident on September 5 in Sivakasi. More than 55 deaths have been reported and hundreds have been hospitalized with complaints of severe burns.

These types of accidents have been recurring in Sivakasi. During the last twelve years 237 persons have lost their lives owing to fires in 88 firecracker manufacturing units in Sivakasi. The callous attitude of the government and the enforcement authorities are to blame for these accidents.

The CPI(M) demands that there should be strict enforcement of safety norms and violators should be dealt with firmly.

It also demands immediate announcement of adequate compensation for the families of those killed and injured alongwith measures for rehabilitation of those affected. The Polit Bureau also demands that all necessary measures should be taken by the government to ensure that such tragedies do not recur.