The Revolutionary Socialist Party (B) formally reunited with its parent Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) at a function at the Cantonment Maidan here on Tuesday.
A single sentence reunion resolution was read out by Labour Minister Shibu Baby John.
Inaugurating the conference, RSP general secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan said the event was reminiscent of the Biblical prodigal son.
He said, as the general secretary of the party, he took a political gamble remaining a silent spectator to the party’s State unit quitting the Left Democratic Front and joining the United Democratic Front.
“But I knew the State unit had taken the right decision and making the right move. That is why I formally permitted N.K. Premachandran to contest on the RSP symbol. It would have been a totally different picture if Mr. Premachandran had lost and at least two of the four RSP candidates in West Bengal had won,” he said.
Welcoming the delegates to the conference, RSP State secretary A.A. Azeez said the decision taken by the RSP’s State unit in March to sever ties with the LDF not only resulted in the RSP getting a Lok Sabha member from the State but also paved the way for the reunion of the RSP and the RSP(B).
In his presidential address, Mr. John said though the party had split and stood polarised, both camps held the same flag and all along there had been an urge to reunite. “That is the reason why the reunion worked out so smoothly. In fact, this is a family reunion,” he said.
Through the split the RSP had lost heavily. But through the reunion the party had gained what it lost, he said.
Party central secretariat member from West Bengal Sukuar Ghosh said the reunion was a historic event. The Kerala unit of the RSP severed ties with the LDF as the insult from the CPI(M) had crossed tolerable levels. The party flag was hoisted by V.P. Ramakrishna Pillai.
The martyrs resolution was read out by district secretary of the RSP Philip K. Thomas. R. Sreedharan Pillai read the condolence resolution.
