THE 27th West Bengal State Conference of CPI(M)

The 27th West Bengal State Conference of CPI(M) was held from February 22-25, at Dankuni in Hooghly district. The conference began with CPI(M) veteran leader Biman Basu hoisting the Party's flag

The 27th West Bengal State Conference of CPI(M) was held at Dankuni in Hooghly district from February 22- 25. The conference began with CPI(M) veteran leader Biman Basu hoisting the Party's flag, followed by Prakash Karat, Polit Bureau member and coordinator of the Central Committee, and other leaders paying homage at the martyr's column.

The stage of the conference was named after Comrade Sitaram Yechury and the venue was named after Comrade Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.

The conference was inaugurated by Prakash Karat, who warned about the rising neo-fascism in India, orchestrated by the RSS and enabled by Narendra Modi. He criticised the Modi government's Hindutva agenda, neoliberal policies, and favouritism towards capitalists, drawing parallels with Trumpism.

"The Modi government is pursuing the same policies as Trump in the US, with his 'America First' slogan and policies favouring capitalists. We are also seeing a global trend of neo-fascism, which is a serious threat to humanity," said Karat.

Highlighting the crisis of neoliberalism and the rise of Leftist governments in some countries, Karat pointed out the challenges posed by right-wing Islamic fundamentalists in Bangladesh. He emphasized the importance of uniting secular forces and strengthening the CPI(M) to combat the BJP-RSS's communal ideology.

"The CPI(M) is the only party that can provide a real alternative to the BJP-RSS in West Bengal. We need to increase the Party's membership and include more women, youth, and members from the marginalised communities," said Karat.

The conference also saw the presentation of the draft political and organisational report by CPI(M) state secretary, Mohammad Salim. The report highlighted the socio-economic issues faced by the state, including unemployment, poverty, and the role of communal forces in exploiting these problems.

The conference was attended by several Polit Bureau members, including Manik Sarkar, Brinda Karat, Surya Mishra, M A Baby, Tapan Sen, Ashok Dhawale, Nilotpal Basu, and Ramchandra Dom. The conference stage was named after Comrade Sitaram Yechury and the venue was named after Comrade Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.

As the 27th State Conference of CPI(M) drew to a close at Dankuni in Hooghly district on Friday, the spotlight fell on a special session to determine the future course of action for the first time in 91 years since its inception in 1934.

Following the session, a 'Proposal for Future Work' for the next three years was presented and finalised after receiving feedback from the delegates.

The session began with an address by CPI(M) state secretary, Mohammad Salim, who highlighted the current state of affairs, covering various aspects from both micro and macro levels through a power-point presentation.

"The effort is not solely for electoral gains but rather to ascertain the social and economic conditions of the people as well as their opinions and expectations of the Party," said Salim.

This information was gathered through surveys and will serve as the basis for shaping the Party's future endeavors.

The session commenced with an overview of the current situation in the state and a six-phase action plan was formulated to guide Party workers' efforts. The action plan includes training programmes and emphasized reaching out to people in times of need. The overall goal of the action plan is to rebuild trust with the people and position the Party as a viable alternative.

Later, Sridip Bhattacharya, Party Central Committee member presented a draft programme outlining 20 key tasks for the Party's next three years.

The adopted programme emphasizes developing the Party's independent strength, consolidating the Left Front, and expanding Left unity. It acknowledges positive signs in current movements and aims to shift the political balance by focusing on ideology, politics, struggle, and organisation.

The programme also outlines areas for Party improvement, including enhancing the political and ideological quality of Party workers, building strong branches, including more women and young people, and raising funds. The 2026 assembly elections are considered crucial for shifting the political balance in the state.

The special session was called to discuss the pressing issues facing the Party and to formulate a plan of action for the coming years. The session was attended by 77 delegates, including 10 women, out of whom 50 were representatives from the districts.

The conference also saw the discussion of the draft political-organisational report over three days.

The session highlighted the grim picture of West Bardhaman district's labour-intensive industries and the current socio-economic situation. Small and retail vendors faced declining incomes, and continuous protests against privatisation persisted.

Participation in the nomination process and prevention of vote-rigging required substantial effort. During the elections, a sense of vengeance was observed among the poor, who belong to the working class.

The Trinamool-BJP