Kollam: The 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of India commenced in Kollam on Wednesday. Party general secretary Sudhakar Reddy hoisted the flag at C.K. Chandrappan Nagar (Kadappakkada sports club) here on Wednesday evening, marking the commenement of the five-day Congress.
The flag for the Congress was brought from Kayyoor under the leadership of CPI national executive member Binoy Viswam and the flagpole from the martyr’s square in Sooranadu in Kollam under the leadership of state council member K. R. Mohanachandran.
The torchlight from Vayalar brought under the leadership of state council member P. Prasad was lit by National Secretary D. Raja at A.B. Bardhan Nagar (Younus convention center) here.
A red flag brought from the last venue of the Congress, Puducherry, under the leadership of Party national council member R. Viswanathan will be hoisted at A.B. Bardhan Nagar on Thursday. The representative meeting will commence at the venue once the flag is hoisted by control commission member C.A. Kurien at 11 am on Thursday.
CPI general secretary S. Sudhakar Reddy will inaugurate the representative meeting in which reception committee general convenor Kanam Rajendran will deliver the welcome address.
Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Debabratha Biswas (Forward Bloc), Kshiti Goswami (RSP), Provash Ghosh (SUCI), and Deepankar Bhattacharya (CPI-ML) will take part in the inaugural meeting among other national leaders. Reception committee chairman Panniyan Raveendran will deliver the vote of thanks. The draft political resolution and organisational report will be presented at the representative meeting.
The registration for the delegates also commenced at A.B. Burdhan Nagar on Wednesday afternoon. As many as 900 representatives will take part in the party Congress. A brief national council meeting convened in Kollam on Wednesday as a prelude to the Congress elected the presidium for the Congress, steering committee, minutes’ committee, and the credential committee.
Cultural programmes were held at Kadappakkada sports club inaugurated by litterateur Perumal Murugan. Music director M.K. Arjunan Master, and award-winning filmmaker V.C. Abhilash were honoured at the function.
Meet to brainstorm on anti-fascist fight
The CPI party congress which began here on Wednesday will discuss the formation of a broad alliance against communal forces based on the draft political resolution and organisational report at the representative meeting. The party will agree only for an electoral alliance, not political alliance with other parties to fight their common enemy - the BJP and Sangh Parivar organisations.
The draft resolution mentions the need to form a broad platform of Left-democratic-secular parties to curb the advancement of fascist forces in the country, including the BJP. However, the draft has avoided the name of Indian National Congress ruling out the possibility of a direct alliance with the party. However, like in the CPM party congress, the senior leaders of the CPI have not ruled out the chances of delegates raising a demand to make direct alliance with parties, including the Congress, especially by those from states where the party is weak.
The Kerala delegates are discussing the stance to be taken on the issue of Mr K.E. Ismail who is currently under scrutiny by the control commission. Mr Ismail had criticised CPI leaders for boycotting the cabinet meeting on the issue of tainted MLA Thomas Chandy in connection with the land grab case. The national executive had also warned Mr. Ismail and reported it to the subsidiary wings of the party. The state conference held at Malappuram also took a harsh stance against Mr. Ismail. The lobbying by state representatives may cost him his position in the CPI national executive.
