CPI(M) KARNATAKA STATE CONFERENCE

CPI(M) Karnataka State Conference held at Bangalore  on Jan 9,10 and 11. The Conference was inaugurated by Com. Sitaram Yechury. Flag-hoisting was done by Senior comrade K R Sriyan. Conference venue was named after Com. R Umanath and dias named after Com. Savaridas veteran comrade who led communist movement in Kolar Gold fields for decades. Later delegates and Red Volunteers (both men and women in hundreds) marched from Conference venue near to Town Hall to Freedom Park – venue of public meeting.
Com. Sitaram Yechury, Com. M A Baby and Com VJK Nair addressed the gathering. Nine eminent progressive personalities were felicitated. Before the meeting started, overflowing audience consisting of thousands of workers, peasants and party supporters were treated to variety of cultural performances including - 50(to mark party’s golden jubilee) children choir, street play and Dappu folk dance.

Conference was conducted by a Presidium consisting of Com. K R Sriyan, Com. Varalaxmi, Com K Prakash, Com. Siddagangappa. Secretary presented the report and emphasized expanding the movement and taking a leap, by correcting organizational shortcomings. 71 delegates representing over 268 (with 40 women) delegates spoke on report. Conference passed 31 resolutions on issues impacting people in the state. Conference elected a 41-member state committee and 12-delegates for 21st party Congress. Com. G V Sreeramreddy was re-elected as Secretary. Com. K R Sriyan, 81 year-old veteran leader from Dakshina Kannada with distinguished record of over 5 decades to communist movement, desired to be relieved from State Committee and was given a warm farewell.

Several programs for over 3 months before the run-up to conference was the special feature of Karnataka Conference this time. Eight major seminars, a weeklong street-play ‘Nam Kathe’ (our story) jatha with about 25 shows, 5-day cultural programs near conference venue. Central attraction of the cultural programs was a poster exhibition of History of Communist movement in the country and state. Same content was released in book and video forms. Discussion on two films “Bharat Stores’ (on ill-effect of FDI in retail) and “PK’ was held. A poets meet, discussion on ‘education in Mother- tongue’ were also held. Many eminent cultural personalities like Girish Karnad and hundreds of people participated in the programs daily. Another innovative pre-conference propaganda device was 1000 autos fitted with Party flag and Conference Logo & poster, plying throughtout the city.

DYFI Dakshin Kannada District Conference

The Democratic Youth Federation of India urged youths to support candidates representing the Left parties or those from the third alternative that the Left parties support in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing a public meeting at the end of two day district DYFI meeting on Monday, DYFI district president Muneer Katipalla said both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party were two sides of the same coin. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi — whom he described as prime ministerial candidates from the two parties — were being backed by corporate entities. Kannada actor Chetan said the youth should continue their fight till equality was achieved in society. There should be no barriers of caste, creed and language. “All languages are ours. Efforts should be made to grow it.” He recalled the contribution made to literature from Beary, Konkani, Tulu and Malayalam. “If we accept these languages, we will grow,” he said.

DYFI State president M.L. Bharatraj and CITU district secretary Vasanth Achary also spoke. In a meeting of the district DYFI held in Kolya, Mr. Katipalla was unanimously re-elected as the district unit president. The names of the other office-bearers of DYFI elected were Dayanand Shetty (Secretary), Jeevanraj Kuttar (Treasurer), Ashok Shetty Chemugudde (vice president), B.K. Imtiyaz (vice president) and Pramila K. Shatinagar (vice president).

(courtesy : the hindu)

CPI(M) protest against ‘pankti bheda’ in Karnataka

Demanding the State government to ban Made Snana and ‘Pankthi bedha’ (discrimination in serving food) practiced in Udupi Krishna Mutt and other temples, and fulfilment of various other demands, CPIM  staged a protest across Karnataka.

 

Members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged a demonstration in front of the Mini-Vidhana Soudha in Hubli. The protest was in response to the call given by the CPI(M) for a State-wide protest against caste discrimination. ‘Pankti bheda’ refers to the discrimination between castes during meals.

The protestors raised slogans against ‘pankti bheda’ and ‘made snana’, which involves devotees rolling over plantain leaves containing leftovers of the lunch served to Brahmins. CPI(M) district secretary B.S. Soppin urged the government to abolish such practices.

Mr. Soppin stressed the need for providing reservation for Dalits in the private sector and urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to allocate funds for Dalits based on population.

Dalit Hakkugala Horata Samiti convener Durgappa Chikkatumbala, members Gurusiddappa Ambiger, Hanumanthapap Jalagar and Nagamma Hiremani took part and handed over a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister to the additional tahsildar.

The memorandum sought increased scholarships for Dalit students and food allowances for SC/ST hostels, reservation in outsourcing works, provision of two acres of land to landless Dalits, increase in the compensation package to devadasis from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 1 lakh, and the withdrawal of cases against activists who protested at Udupi.

Mangalore

Addressing the protesters, CPM leader Vasanth Achary said that Pejawar seer holds padayatra with Dalits in Dalit colonies. However, discrimination is practiced in Udupi Krishna Mutt while serving meals.

About 168 temples coming under the jurisdiction of Endowment Department have been practicing inhuman practices across the State. The government should initiate measures to stop these practices and withdraw cases filed against all those protesters who had protested against discrimination, in Udupi.

He said the State government should chalk out a law on the model of Andhra Pradesh to implement SC/ST Component Plan and Tribes Sub Plan. The funds earmarked for the welfare of SC/ST should not be lapsed and the budget should set aside funds on the basis of population of SC/STs in the State.

Dalits constitute about 23.65 per cent of the population in the State. Hence, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should set aside 23.65 per cent of funds under component plan for the welfare of the SC/STs.

The government should release funds for the development of Dalit colonies in the State and civic workers should not be forced to get into manhole to take up cleaning work. The minimum salary of civic workers should be increased to Rs 12,000 per month, to improve their standard of living.

CPIM City Secretary Sunil Kumar Bajal said that there was a need to strengthen social welfare department to check injustice on Dalits.

Reservation in government sector should be extended to private sector as well.

All those poor Dalits who do not have a roof over their head should be given sites and houses under various housing schemes of the government. Dalit families who do not possess land should be given minimum two acre land, to eke out their living. The scholarship amount given for SC/ST students should be hiked and food allowance for hostel students should be increased in the wake of rise in price of essential commodities.

The protesters urged Chief Minister to include their demands in the budget which will be presented by him on July 12. A memorandum was submitted to the Chief Minister through Deputy Commissioner on the occasion.

DYFI District President Muneer Katipalla, Dalit Rights Committee secretary Lingappa Nanthoor and others were present.

 

Gulbarga

Activists of the CPI (M) staged a demonstration outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Gulbarga criticising the maths for practising untouchability in the name of religion. The State government should intervene and put an end to these practices.

Coming down heavily on the Pejawar Math Swami, the party leaders said that while the seer had gone on padayatras in the Dalit colonies purportedly to end untouchability, he had done little to stop the practice of ‘made snana’ and ‘pankti bheda’ in maths.

Demanding the State government to ban Made Snana and ‘Pankthi bedha’ (discrimination in serving food) practiced in Udupi Krishna Mutt and other temples, and fulfilment of various other demands, CPM and Dalit Rights Committee staged a protest in front of Deputy Commissioner’s office on Tuesday.
(Source : The Hindu)