Agartala: The Communist movement in India will not fall back despite attacks and conspiracies. Its fight against the social exploitation of Dalits, tribals, the poor and others would make it stronger, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat said here Sunday.
"During the freedom struggle, Communists had shown the way to the entire country. Over 450 Left partymen were killed, thousands made homeless, hundreds of party offices were destroyed in a few years in Bengal. But the Communists would not run away," Karat said.
The CPI-M general secretary while addressing a mammoth gathering here said: "Due to economic liberalism, crores of youths have remained jobless and unemployment is increasing everyday."
He said there are 55 men in India whose assets valued are over Rs.50,000 crores and 20 years ago, the number of such wealthy men was only nine.
"Since 1995, over 256,000 farmers have committed suicide. After the Left governance in Bengal and Kerala, farmers's suicides have again begun in these two states," Karat said.
In his 35-minute speech, the Communist leader said that the UPA government had been trying to grab the rights of the poor, depriving them of jobs and food.
Tripura chief minister and CPI-M politburo member Manik Sarkar, the party's central committee members Bijon Dhar and Aghore Debbarma also spoke at the gathering that was organised ahead of the CPI-M's four-day state conference which began Sunday.
Besides Karat, CPI-M politburo members Sitaram Yechury, Manik Sarkar and Brinda Karat are among the top Marxist leaders who would address the internal sessions of the conference which aims to make the party more pro-people and strong and to make the party cadres ideologically skilled.
IANS
First Published: Sunday, January 29, 2012, 19:20