Five decades after the first-ever State conference of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was held in the district, the 21st edition of the organisational meet got off to a resounding start here on Friday with Leader of the Opposition and Central committee member V.S. Achuthanandan hoisting the flag.
The first State conference of the party was held here in 1964. It had elected C.H. Kanaran as the first State secretary of the party. Later, the 13th State meet was held in the district in 1988. This is for the third time the State meet was being held in Alappuzha.
Mr. Achuthanandan hoisted the red flag at 9.30 a.m. at ‘P. Krishna Pillai Nagar’(Yeskay Convention Centre, Kalarcode). This was followed by State secretary Pinarayi Viajayan lighting the torch.
Prior to the flag-hoisting ceremony, Polit Bureau members, led by party general secretary Prakash Karat, paid floral tributes to the martyrs at the memorial at Valiya Chudukad.
Inaugurating the four-day meet, Mr. Karat called for efforts to forge the broadest-possible Left unity in the State. Dubbing the UDF government as the most discredited and corrupt administration in the recent Kerala history, he called upon the State unit of the party to present an alternative development programme before the people.
Six hundred delegates and 200 special invitees were present during the inaugural session, which was chaired by Polit Bureau member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
Organising committee general convener G. Sudhakaran welcomed the gathering.
