>>>>>>>>>

Homage paid to Comrade VM on his 4th Anniversary

Commemorating Comrade Vinod Mihsra on the fourth anniversary of his demise, a seminar was organised in Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi, in the eveinin on 18 December 2002. The topic of the seminar was “Towards a Stronger Left and Democratic Intervention in National Politics”. Apart from CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya, those who spoke at the occasion include Comrades Prakash Karat, Polit Bureau Member of CPI(M), Devarajan, member of National Secretariat of All India Forward Bloc, Abani Roy, M.P. and leader of Revolutionary Socialist Party and Gaya Singh of CPI. The meeting was presided over by senior Party leader Comrade Swadesh Bhattacharya and conducted by Comrade Rajendra Pratholi, Central Committee member.

Addressing the gathering Comrade Prakash Karat said that the polity of India took a rightward turn in the decade of 90s, behind which the world situation was also responsible. To fight out communal menace cooperation among left and democratic forces is necessary but much is still needed to be done in this regard and moreover, such unity can only be durable if Left forces are sufficiently strong. To identify the menace and chart out a correct course, he held that polemics within the left camp were very important and seminars like this, apart from Party organs, could contribute much to this end. Comrade Abani Roy too emphasized unity of left and democratic forces and said that it will be a fitting tribute to Comrade Vinod Mishra to accomplish it. Comrade Gaya Singh observed that Gujarat phenomenon was a temporary phase and it should not be linked to advent of fascism. Rebutting it strongly Comrade Devarajan said that this kind of belittling the danger of saffron fascism would only render the left forces unarmed. He lauded the call of recently-held Patna Congress of CPI (ML) towards forging Left unity and said that Left Front of West Bengal and Left-Democratic Front of Kerala cannot be models of Left unity. There should be a common minimum programme of Left forces. The real model of left unity can emerge only through joint struggles by Left forces in the fields, factories and streets and this struggle cannot be left to Parliament alone.

Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya termed Gujarat verdict as a wake up call for Indian democracy and said that a crucial battle has just begun in which secularism and democracy must win. In Gujarat, he said that the Congress attempt to appropriate the plank of Hindutwa has backfired. This fascist offensive must be defeated by means of a powerful people’s resistance. A vibrant Left and democratic movement built on the solid foundation of revolutionary mobilisation of the rural poor with a high degree of participation of dalits and adivasis, of the kind which the CPI(ML) has succeeded in developing in states like Bihar and Jharkhand, holds the answer. Only a powerful resurrection of the communist ideology and expansion of the cadre-based communist organisation can give an effective rebuff to the RSS.

In his presidential remarks Comrade Swadesh Bhattacharya said that the Comrade Vinod Mishra had dreamed of forging broad Left and democratic unity with a strong Left core against our common enemy. Speakers have highlighted the need of a vigorous movement for democracy against communal fascism in which the broadest possible forces must be mobilised. Initiative and leadership of the Left is crucial for any such attempt. Polemics within the Left camp on the course to be taken for defeating communal fascism must go on, but simultaneously joint action is all the more necessary to bring the Left forces closer in the arena of this life and death struggle. Lastly he thanked all the participants.

CPI(ML) Pledges to Combat Communal Fascist Forces

Party observed December 6 as “Anti-Communal Fascism Day” and organised various programmes at important centres. In New Delhi, a march was organised from Supreme Court to Mandi House which was led by Party General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya along with CC members Swapan Mukherjee and Rajendra Pratholi. The marchers later joined the programmes undertaken by Aman Ekta Manch and other democratic organisations as a gesture of broader Left-democratic unity against the threat of communal fascist forces in the country. In Patna a secular march was taken out. Party's Guwahati City Committee took out a procession from Judges Field to HPO and burnt effigy of L K Advani, Narendra Modi and Pravin Togadia. Effigies were burnt in Tinsukia and Nagaon. In Kakinada, effigies were burnt. In Lucknow a dharna was held jointly by Party and All India Muslim Forum. Secular March was taken out in Varanasi. A joint dharna was also staged in Jaipur.

Delhi University AISA Conference

On 17 December 2002 Delhi University unit of AISA held its conference at Tagore Hall, DU. After its inauguration by Kavita Krishnan, national president of AISA, a seminar on ‘Indianisation of Education: How to Define It’ was held in which Prof. Nityanand Tiwary, Dr. PK Basant and Prof. Anil Sadgopal spoke. A 31-member council was elected by the conference, which in turn elected Uma Gupta as president, Aditi, Abhishek and Nitin as vice presidents, Ravi Prakash Rai as secretary and 8 joint secretaries. The conference ended with a play on corruption staged by Sangwari, a cultural team from Jamia Millia Islamia.

>>>>>>>>>