Hyderabad: The five-day national convention of CPM has begun in the city at RTC Kalyana Mandapam, Bag-hlingampally, here on Wednesday on a grand note.
In his inaugural address, the CPM national general-secretary Mr Sitaram Yechury accused the BJP of using rape as a weapon for communal polarisation. He lashed out at BJP-led NDA government saying that due to growing communalism and intolerance in the country for the past four years, Dalits and minorities are at the receiving end under Prime Minister Modi’s rule.
“The dehumanisation of our society could be clearly seen in the chilling incidents of rape in Kathua and Unnao. It is shameful to see rape being used as a weapon for communal polarisation. This must be resisted and defeated. The current government whose reins are controlled by the RSS is pursuing policies that have imposed unprecedented miseries on the people,” Mr Yechury said.
He said there is an urgent need for all the secular and democratic for-ces in the country to join hands to defeat the BJP government at the Centre.
He further added, “In the final analysis, the answer to the present challenges is the policy alternative that can only be provided by the Left and democratic forces.”
“I am confident that the party conclave will give a new direction to strengthen its independent activities, to intensify people’s struggles, to strengthen unity of Left forces and to boost the unity of the Left and democratic forces,” Mr Yechuri said.
About 840 delegates from all over the country are attending the five-day convention.
The meeting will also see the election of new general-secretary and the Central Committee amid suspense over whether Mr Yechury would get the second term in the wake of reports that Mr Prakash Karat has been opposing it.
“In the name of Gau Raksha, Muslims and Dalits are being targeted for murderous assaults. In the name of moral policing, our youth are being told what to wear, what to eat, whom to befriend. Those not following such instructions are assaulted. These private armies are seeking to control our social order, under the patronage of RSS and BJP.”
“The promise to our youth of creating two crore jobs every year has been reneged. On the contrary, even in the organised sector today, there is growing unemployment," Mr Yechury said.
Terming demonetisation and GST as “twin assaults”, he said they uprooted crores of people dependent on the cash economy and decimated the small-scale industry.
The inaugural session was presided over by former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. Kerala Chief Minister Pinyari Vijayan, former general-secretary Prakash Karat, and other leaders attended the inaugural session.
