File photo of Prakash Karat
The three-day CPI-M Kerala plenum will commence in Palakkad tomorrow, and among other things, it would discuss organisational weakness and ways to make the party stronger to face the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat would inaugurate the delegate session of the plenum which would be attended by more than 408 representatives, Plenum Organising Committee AK Balan said.
More than two lakh party workers are expected to participate in the public meeting, organised in connection with the plenum on November 29, he said.
Seminars on 'Secularism and Indian democracy', 'Liberalisation and alternative policies' are some of the programmes planned as part of the party meet.
Giving an outline about the agenda of the plenum, in an article in the party organ, CPI-M state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said the aim of the meet was to find organizational weakness and steps to resolve it through intervention.
Mr Vijayan said while there were no differences of opinion to be sorted out in political or ideological matters, there were organisational issues that needed discussion.
CPI-M is the largest party in the state with a membership of 4,01,704 cadres. However, in certain pockets, the party has no sufficient influence. The plenum would take steps to build the party in such areas where the party is weak, he said.
"In short, the plenum would give shape to programmes to sort out organisational weakness and make the party stronger. Palakkad plenum is all set to become an historic part of party organisation," he said.
Stating that it was being held at a time when Kerala politics was preparing itself for key changes, Mr Vijayan alleged that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government destroyed the gains made during the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule in the sate.
LDF government initiated welfare measures as an alternative to the globalisation policies, but UDF government brought back the "neo-liberalisation policies in its fierce form", causing hardship to the common man, he said.
UDF has become a 'sinking ship' due to contradictions in the ruling front, he said and alleged that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was trying to 'hoodwink' people through his mass contact programmes.