Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India(Marxist) issued the following statement at a press conference held today in AKG Bhawan, New Delhi.
The 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of India(Marxist) completed its work successfully over five days from 6 to 10 of April at Kannur, Kerala. The Party Congress elected an 85 member Central Committee which in turn elected Sitaram Yechury as General Secretary and a 17 member Polit Bureau. The culmination of the Party Congress saw a virtual surging sea of humanity that converged at the concluding public rally and public meeting. This is testimony to the deep roots that the CPI(M) has with the people of Kerala. The Party Congress, through its political resolution, identified its main task as being that of “isolating and defeating the BJP”, which utilising the government is aggressively advancing the Hindutva communal agenda of the fascistic RSS. Simultaneously, the BJP government “has mounted a multi-pronged attack through the pursuit of rabid neo-liberal reforms strengthening the communal-corporate nexus, looting of national assets, promoting crony capitalism, legalising political corruption and imposing full-fledged authoritarianism.In order to achieve the objective of isolating and defeating the BJP, it is imperative that the independent strength of the CPI(M) grows significantly enabling its political intervention capacities to be more effective. The Party Congress decided on various political organisational tasks, in the Political Organisational Report it adopted, which shall be undertaken by the Party.
Simultaneously, the Party Congress decided to strengthen the unity of the Left forces and to forge the Left and Democratic front based on an alternative policy programme, alternative to the policies of the ruling classes, and on this basis to sharpen people’s struggles. At the same time, the Party shall work to forge the broadest mobilisation of secular forces against Hindutva communalism. Party Congress decided to counter the challenges posed by Hindutva communalism at all levels─ political, ideological, social, cultural and organisational. 22 resolutions were adopted to highlight and amplify CPI(M) stand on various urgent issues. The draft political resolution had received 4001 pre-Congress amendments by Party members across the country. Additionally, 390 amendments and 12 suggestions were made by delegates attending the Party Congress. All these were considered and the draft resolution will be enriched by incorporating the accepted amendments. The party Congress appealed to all Indian patriots to come together in the defence of the secular democratic character of the Indian Republic, to safeguard the Indian Constitution, defend the Constitutionally guaranteed rights of the people that are severely assaulted by the Hindutva communal forces and to sharpen class and mass struggles against the anti-people policies.
For CPI(M) Central Committee Office