CPI(ML)’s 10th Tamilnadu State Conference was held on 27th and 28th February at Sengundram, in Thiruvallur district. The conference hall was named after Comrade TKS Janardhanan and Comrade Ammaiappan. The conference began with young woman comrade and AISA leader Com. Seetha hoisting the Party Flag, after wihich all leaders and delegates paid floral tribute to the Martyrs. A seven-member presidium led by Com. Chandramohan conducted the proceedings. Com. Ramesh, State Committee Member presented the condolence resolution and Com. Janakiraman, Thiruvallur district secretary welcomed the delegates. Com. Swapan Mukherjee, central observer, inaugurated the conference. He appealed to the delegates to prepare for bigger struggles against the onslaught of fascist, communal, pro-corporate BJP government at the centre and also against the autocratic Jayalalitha government at the state. Political resolutions and work report were presented by outgoing state secretary Com. Balasundaran. About 250 delegates and 50 observers from 23 districts attended the conference. The exhibition on the topic “Class struggle continues…” was inaugurated by Com. Swapan. After deliberations Com. Balasundaram summed up the discussions on the report and it was unanimously accepted by the house. Com. Balasubramanian, Party secretary of Puducherry UT and Com. John Erimeli, Secretary of Kerala State greeted the conference.

The conference also elected a 35-member state committee which in turn elected Com. Kumarasamy as its Secretary. Com AS Kumar submitted financial report of the Party which was also accepted. Newly elected Secretary in his concluding address gave a call for bigger movements to “Save democracy and Save the nation”. He said that recently lakhs of Tamil Nadu Government employees are up in arms against the neo liberal policies and we were the first to support them. The ground is ripe for the revolutionary party to develop mass movements beyond electoral calculations. Resolutions expressing solidarity with ‘free Pricol 8’ movement and demanding -release of JNU student leaders, an end to atrocities on dalits, scrapping nuclear and methane projects etc. were passed. Workers of Chennai contributed Rs.1 lakh and state AIARLA contributed Rs.15000 to the Pricol movement and handed it to the presidium. The Conference resolved to make 10th anniversary of the Pricol movement on March 13 a success, in which Com. Dipankar will also participate, and also resolved to carry forward the central committee call of ‘Save the nation, Save Democracy, Save the Constitution’ campaign from March 23 – Bhagat Singh’s Matrydom day to April 14 – Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary.