CPI-M conclave salutes 'martyrs' of West Bengal

The Communist Party of India-Marxist's on-going Congress has saluted 104 "martyrs" who sacrificed their lives in West Bengal and has alleged that subversion of democracy and democratic rights is widespread the state.

The party on the third day of its 21st Congress on Thursday passed a resolution expressing solidarity with the people of West Bengal.

The conclave called upon the party all over India to stand in solidarity with the fight for democracy, secular values, and peoples' advance to counter the slander being spread against the Left Front governments, and to defend the historic gains of the people during 34 years of Left Front rule.

In one of the five resolutions adopted by the party on Thursday, it paid homage to 104 cadres who sacrificed their precious lives in the period since the last party Congress.

"The 21st Congress extends its warm greetings to the courageous fighters in West Bengal who have defended the red flag and the Left Front and Left movement in the face of unprecedented and multiple forms of violence unleashed by the Trinamool Congress with the backing of police and under the patronage of its top leaders, including the chief minister in league with reactionary forces," the party said in a resolution.

"The Congress holds that the historical experience of authoritarian regimes in different parts of the world is being re-enacted in the cruelest form in Bengal, where the assault against political opponents has now expanded to include intolerance and coercion against all dissent."

It said: "Under the Trinamool Congress, Bengal is in the grip of a regime that has utter contempt for basic democratic norms. Even as the TMC involvement in the Sarada and other chit fund scams involving thousands of crores of rupees is exposed before the people, the TMC is becoming more desperate, making wild charges to stem the growing resistance of the people."

The 21st CPI-M Congress noted that policies of the TMC, which encourage fundamentalism of different forms, are providing a fertile ground for fascistic organisations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and other members of the Hindutva brigade to expand their presence in Bengal.

Bengal has been and is the standard bearer of the communist and Left movement in the country and therefore is the target of most cruel form of attack by the ruling classes at all levels, it added.

The conclave condemned the killing of its worker in Kannur, Kerala. Paying homage to Vinodan (36), it alleged that the RSS killed him by attacking with bombs.

"Comrade Vinodan is the fourth person associated with the CPI-M whom the RSS has murdered in the last two months in Kerala," the party tweeted.