THRISSUR: The Thekkinkad ground in the cultural capital of Thrissur reverberated with slogans and the skies were lit up with fireworks as the flag of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPM was hoisted as a prelude to the 22th state conference of the party which began on Wednesday.Hundreds of CPM workers shouted slogans shortly after conference organising committee chairman Baby John hoisted the flag at the ground. The ground was covered in red for the event. Flags and festoons filled the area, which got filled to a large extent well before the flag, flag mast and torch reached there around 6.35 pm.
The party flag was brought to the venue from Kayyur, the land of legendary struggles in Malabar, by a procession led by party state secretariat member M V Govindan, and the flag mast from Vayalar, another scene of popular upheaval during the pre-independence days in Travancore, by another procession led by Anathalavattom Anandan.The conference torch procession from Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod, which started under the leadership of state committee member V Sivankutty and MLA T V Rajesh was brought by a team of runners.
The torch was lit by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Speaking on the occasion, Pinarayi said the party does not work to strengthen the power of any one person. No one is more powerful than the party and all the workers are under the party, he added.His comments came in the wake of the observation that with end of the party conference the CPM will be confined in the hands of Pinarayi Vijayan. Earlier, taking a dig at Congress leader K Sudhakaran, Pinarayi said he is the same person who tried to kill CPM leader E P Jayarajan with the help of an RSS worker. Now, he is on a hunger strike against political murder.
“It is the same leader who purchased the gun and conspired with the RSS worker to kill Jayarajan,” he added.CPM had to face more terror while the Congress and the BJP were in government. The terror in the state was unleashed by the RSS based on the decision of Central leadership, he alleged.
He said in the state many have become martyred resisting such forces. People have supported the party even when it was terrorised and this conference only proves once again the people and party are united.
Several senior leaders, including party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, presided over the event. M A Baby, Thomas Issac, M C Josephine, K K Shylaja, P K Sreemathy, E P Jayarajan, Elamaram Kareem, Anathalavattom Anandan, M V Govindan, A C Moideen, Baby John and K Radhakrishnan were present at the event.
Mani should not be taken into Left fold: VS writes to Yechury
Thrissur: On the eve of the CPM state conference, veteran leader V S Achuthanandan dropped a bombshell on the party state leadership which has been attempting to woo K M Mani’s Kerala Congress to the Left fold. VS shot a letter to the party central leadership urging it not to take K M Mani into the Left front. In his letter given to general secretary Sitaram Yechury, VS demanded that the party conference should not discuss Mani’s entry to the LDF. “VS said the party has decided not to take the corrupt into the Left front. Earlier the politburo had also taken a decision in this regard. Hence the matter should not be discussed at the state conference. Also no decisions should be taken in this regard,” sources said.