Socialist values and the vision of Puchalapalli Sundarayya, one of the founders of the Communist movement in the country, are far more relevant today when people have got caught in the vicious circle of capitalistic economic policies, CPM leaders have said.
Speaking at a programme organised by the party at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram here Thursday as part of the year-long birth centenary celebrations of Sundarayya, party general secretary Prakash Karat said it was Sundaraya who had raised the voice against the atrocities against women when he was in his teens.
Sundarayya, a revolutionary in a true sense, saw what was ailing the society at large and strove to set it right. Land reforms, struggle for protecting rights of agricultural workers and other sections of working class were his contribution to the Communist movement. “He played a vital role in strengthening the movement in Kerala and his vision saw the party form governments in Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. He had championed the cause of Dalits and women,’’ Karat said.
The Left leader was caustic in his remarks against failure of the government in curbing sexual offences against women. In 2011 alone, 21,000 cases of rape were registered, but there were several more which went unnoticed.
Politburo member Sitaram Yechury elaborated on how capitalistic forces had put the people of the world in a vicious never-ending circle of debts. He said his party was looking for emergence of an alternative to the existing system where there will be no tax concession and no scope for scams.
Yechury Flays ‘Hate Speech’
Yechury said his party condemned any speech that hurt the sentiments of people and proved detrimental to communal harmony. Karat condemned the killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops and said the matter should be taken up by India with Pakistan.
Protest Programme
CPM decided to support nationwide industrial strike on Feb 20 and 21, and conduct jathas from four corners of the country in March.