THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ending ideological confusion that had prevailed in the party for over seven decades, the CPM on Sunday hoisted the national flag in its offices and celebrated nation's 75th Independence Day in style.
"The celebrations will not end with flag hoisting. The party will hold year-long programmes to commemorate India’s Independence," said CPM acting state secretary A Vijayaraghavan after the ceremony at AKG Centre here.
Last week, the central committee of the party directed all state units to celebrate Independence Day with flag hoisting and seminars.
Party's major opponents in the state Congress and BJP didn't waste the opportunity and levelled criticism on its late acknowledgement of the country's freedom. KPCC president K Sudhakaran said: "The CPM should have shown the courage to admit that it had made a mistake over the years without respecting the Indian freedom movement."
BJP state president K Surendran said it is heartening to hear that the CPM has now realised that the country has got freedom during the tenure of the BJP government. "The CPM will also recite ‘Vande Mataram’ in the next five years," he said.
Vijayaraghavan countered the criticism by saying the Left front had made many sacrifices for the freedom. He also refuted the allegation that the party was celebrating Independence for the first time. According to him, veteran leader and former state secretary of the party P Krishna Pillai had hoisted the flag in front of the state committee office on August 15, 1947.
The CPM’s late recognition of India’s independence was a deviation from the second party congress of 1948 which had observed that the freedom was not complete and that it would only help capitalists not the proletariat.
"Nobody has ever disputed communist party's role in freedom movement. The question they had been debating was whether the freedom was real and complete. Interestingly, the new decision to celebrate Independence Day coincides with CPM's new found love for the bourgeoise. They are now practising new ways of class cooperation," said Dr Azad, left thinker.
The central committee meeting last week decided to hoist the national flag in all party offices, following a proposal by the party's West Bengal unit which felt CPM should embrace nationalism to counter the growing threat of BJP.
Independence-Day goof-ups
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Goof-ups marred I-Day celebrations by major parties in the state. The tricolour was upside down when BJP state president K Surendran tried to unfurl it at the state committee office.
The leaders soon rectified the mistake. The CPM courted controversy for hoisting the tricolour near the party flag. The CPI too floundered when state secretary Kanam Rajendran sang 'Jana Gana Mana' incorrectly at MN Memorial here.