Prakash Karat, General secretary of CPI (M) inaugurated the party’s Kerala State Conference at Allapuzha on 20 February 2015.
He paid homage to the glorious martyrdom of fighters of PunnapraVayalar and the great heroes produced from the soil of Allapuzha.
“Their sacrifices inspire us and urge us to greater efforts to meet the goals of equality and socialism for which they had laid down their precious lives,” he said.
Analysing the international situation, Karat said that capitalism has been unable to come out of the crisis created in 2008 which was the result of a set of policies followed by the ruling governments and classes in US and much of Europe. The same set of policies which created the crisis in the first place are being used as the medicine to treat it, leading to greater burdens on the people.
Highlighting the growing resistance of the people against the so called austerity measures, he said thatpeople of Greece had elected a pro Left Government for the first time which is of immense political significance.After the Second World War there have not been manyleft governments in Western Europe. But the election of Syrizain Greece has established a record. Other countries like Spain also are seeing mobilisations which are Left oriented.
“So in the very heart of Europe,a challenge to neo liberal policies is emerging,” Karat said.
“We have seen such resistance in Latin America where prolonged struggles against these policies have led to the projection and adoption of an alternative path.”
Shamefully, even as forces of resistance against imperialist-led neoliberal policies are growing across the world, the Modi Government is strengthening its strategic alliance with US behind the back of Parliament.
“What were the talks, what were the agreements reached between Modi and Obama, neither Parliament nor the Indian people have been told,” Karat said.
The political and economic situation after the LokSabha elections signals the right wing shift.The spate of ordinances for example which give rights to mine owners, big industry and corporates against the farmers, the workers and to increase FDI in insurance exemplify this right wing offensive. The coal ordinance is to denationalise the coal industry. Even before the Act is implemented an ordinance is passed to snatch the rights of farmers to protect the corporate interests.
Why does not Modi Government promulgate an Ordinance to bring back black money and confiscate it? You need stronger laws.But Modi will not do that.
The Modi Government is spearheading a right wing offensive against the people of the countryKarat said.
“Workers’rights, farmers’rights,people’sright to food – all are under attack. Even the health budget in the current financial year has been cut by 20 per cent,” he said.
The RSS and Hindutva forces are a crucial pillar of the Modi regime, Karat stressed.
“A government is formed through an electoral system of votes cast by people.But today you have a government which is nothing but a joint enterprise of the BJP and RSS.A coordination committee has been set up which met last week and which will decide on six issues.The RSS is not just guiding the BJP but is increasingly guiding the Government,” he explained.
While at the top, RSS is getting integrated with the government at the Centre,at the ground level they are taking the offensive of gharwapasi to forcibly bring minorities into the Hindu fold.
A recent example of the rising offensive of Hindutvais the threat to cultural artists like PerumalMurugam, a threat that is spreading all over the country, Karat said.Hindutva threatens the very secular foundations of our Republic
To fight the communal and Hindutva forces, Karat said, we have to fight the impact of neo liberal policies because it directly affects the mass of people. People’s unity is built in such struggles to defend their demands and livelihood. So there is need to develop a two-pronged strategy against the twin offensive.
The demand of the times is to build unity of the working people as the core of the fight against Hindutva and against the neo liberal policies.
“I am confident that struggles of the people will advance and force a roll-back of these policies,” Karat said.
To fight back this communal danger, all secular and democratic forces must be brought together, he said. In parliament we want the widest unity to defeat the anti-people ordinances, particularly in the RajyaSabha,where we can succeed.
Describing the situation in Bengal, Karat said that we are facing a severe attack and we are working hard to change the situation. It is essential in such a situation to develop and strengthen the Party all over India. We want to also strengthen and are working towards bringing Left forces, parties, organisations, movements,intellectuals together. In many states joint platforms are being forged: 11 parties in Telengana, 17 in Bengal, four in Punjab, six at the Central level have come together on many issues and are organising struggles.
Along with the strengthened Left we will strive to bring democratic forces together, Karat said. This will provide the real alternative to the present bourgeois landlord policies.
The CPI(M) unit in Kerala has a crucial role to play in this challenging situation. It is necessary to strengthen the CPI(M), the Left and the LDF in Kerala.
The record of misrule and corruption is unprecedented under the Chandyled Congress Government of Kerala.It is an agency to appease all casteist and communal forces to stay in power. It is essential to put out alternative politics and an alternative path to the discredited policies of the Congress Government, Karat said.
“Our communist history here in Allapuzha, and inKerala, is service to the people, struggle for the people and sacrifice for the people. That is our creed.We have to discuss how to take this creed further,” he said.