Communist Party of India (Marxist)

19^th Congress

Anil Biswas Nagar

Coimbatore

March 29 to April 3, 2008

WELCOME ADDRESS

By R. Umanath, Chairman of the Reception Committee

Distinguished guests, fraternal delegates from abroad, delegates, comrades and friends,

On behalf of the Reception Committee, I warmly welcome you all on the occasion of the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

It is a matter of great pride for the Tamil Nadu State Committee of the CPI (M), to host this Party Congress.

Tamil Nadu has an inspiring history of freedom struggle. This State was a home to many a patriots. Tirupur Kumaran who laid down his life for the cause of our national flag belonged to this Coimbatore district. Many leaders of the freedom struggle in the State later became important visionaries and functionaries of the communist movement. The distinct contributions made by leaders from this State like comrades P.Ramamurti, M.R.Venkataraman, A.Balasubramaniam, A.Nallasivan, V.P.Chintan, K.P.Janakiamma, K.Ramani and many others have helped the movement to go forward and grow stronger.

Coimbatore has for long been a bastion of working class movement and struggle. It had been known as ‘South Indian Manchester’ in view of the large cluster of textile mills that sprang up here during the British Raj. The late lamented freedom fighter V O Chidambaram Pillai laid the foundation of the trade union movement here by forming the first ever union in 1920. The textile workers under the red flag had waged many a heroic struggle on this soil. Comrades K Ramani, P Ramamurti, P Jeevanandam and A S K Iyengar had taken the leading role in organising these workers and leading their struggles. Many have become martyrs during such struggles. Notable among them are the four mill workers of Chinniyampalayam (who were falsely implicated in a murder case and hanged to death in 1946) Abhai, Uppilipalayam Muthu, Selvapuram Poosari, Rackiannan and others. 

Tamil Nadu has a glorious tradition of revolutionary fervor and martyrdom. Kalappal Kuppu, a leader of the agricultural workers of Thanjavur district was poisoned to death in 1948, while he was detained in Tiruchirapalli Central Jail, , due to the conspiracy of landlords.    Iranian and Sivaraman, two peasant youth of Thanjavur district, were shot point blank and killed by the police in May 1950, at the instigation of landlords. Two worker-youth of Madurai, by name Mari and Manavalan were shot dead by the police in 1949.   In February 1950, 21 Comrades belonging to the then Madras Presidency (which included Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra), who were undergoing jail sentence in Salem jail were killed in police firing inside the jail itself. Iduvai Rathinasamy was tortured and murdered in a most cruel way in March 2002 by anti socials, who could not tolerate his work among dalits and minorities.

Women were equally in the forefront of such struggles.   Mill worker Ammu fell to police bullets in 1946, while fighting black legs who were trying to break a strike in Coimbatore Stanes Mill.  Mother Lakshmi, as she was called, (of Golden Rock) created history, by dying in Chennai sub - jail, after a prolonged  hunger strike in March 1950, protesting against jail atrocities.  Leelavathi of Madurai was murdered by rowdies in broad day light In April 1997, for having fought anti-social elements of her municipal ward.

But the sacrifice of 44 agricultural workers of Keezhvenmani village in Thanjavur district, mostly women and children, is incomparable. For their determined fight for higher wages, the landlord, through his henchmen forcibly herded them into a hut and set fire to it on December 25th, 1968.   What remained was only the charred bodies of the hapless victims.

I have given you only an inkling of the history of martyrdom in Tamil Nadu.   This is by no means exhaustive. Hence, it is most befitting of our Party, to hold the 19th Congress in Tamil Nadu and that too in Coimbatore, which is a hub of militant class struggles and sacrifices.

Comrades,

Since the 18th Congress of our Party held in New Delhi in April 2005, the CPI(M), as the sentinel of the Indian people,  has been playing a consistent role in fighting against the neo liberal economic policies, opposing growing collaboration with the US imperialism and strengthening secularism, by countering communal forces.

The CPI (M) is the Party of the working class.  Its programme sets out the goal of Peoples’ Democracy.  In order to go forward to this stage, it is necessary to first defend the secular edifice and strengthen the democratic system.

The last two decades have seen, on the one hand, the growing threat from Hindutva communal forces.  Secularism and peoples’ unity are endangered by their philosophy and practice.

On the other hand, the anti - people economic policies of the Central Government, have created a   huge divide between the rich and the poor, between the big capitalists, financial speculators and the distressed peasantry, rural poor and the working people. Immiserisation of more and more people has become the order of the day.

It is the CPI (M), as the largest contingent of the Left that has taken up the task of uniting all Left and Democratic forces to fight communalism and to roll back the economic policies which are pro-imperialist and pro-rich.

There are many instances of caste and gender oppression. I am sure this Congress will mark a mile stone in consolidating and expanding our movement against social and class exploitation.

Amidst this scenario, the experiences and achievements of the 3 Left-led Governments stand apart as a shining example, despite relentless attacks by the ruling classes.

I am confident that this 19th Congress, meeting at this crucial political juncture, will discuss important issues impacting the working class and other oppressed sections of the society and chalk out the future course of political direction and action.

Once again, I welcome all of you to this historic city and to this important Party Congress. Our comrades have been really working hard to make this conference a success. We have taken great care to make your stay as pleasant and comfortable as possible.  We trust comrades will bear with us for shortcomings, if any.

With revolutionary greetings to one and all.