AIKS KERALA STATE CONVENTION CALLS FOR DEFEAT OF BJP-RSS, CONGRESS-UDF AND VICTORY OF LDF IN LOK SABHA POLLS

The statewide activists convention of the Kerala Karshaka Sangham (AIKS) held at Com BTR Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on January 24 called for the resounding defeat of the communal BJP-RSS combine and the opportunist Congress-led UDF alliance and for the smashing victory of the LDF in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Towards this end, it also called for a massive statewide AIKS membership drive to be completed before the Salem Martyrs’ Day on February 11.

The state convention was attended by over 450 activists from all the 14 districts of Kerala and included state council and district council members of the AIKS in the state.

AIKS state president K Krishnan Nair presided over the convention. AIKS state general secretary K V Ramakrishnan placed the state council decisions about future tasks.

AIKS president Dr Ashok Dhawale, addressing the convention, warmly congratulated the LDF government, the Left forces and the AIKS for their massive and principled campaign on the Sabarimala issue, the historic 620 Km-long, 55 lakh-strong Women’s Wall (Vanitha Mathil) in Kerala on New Year’s Day, and the great relief and rehabilitation operations after the catastrophic floods, which drew the admiration of the country and the whole world.

He then dealt with the latest serious manifestations of the agrarian crisis in the country as a result of the neo-liberal policies of successive Congress and BJP-led central governments, of which the Modi regime has been by far the worst, and explained the major demands and alternative placed by the AIKS to overcome it.

Touching upon the several statewide and nationwide independent and united struggles led by the AIKS in recent years, he said that all these struggles had succeeded in placing the agrarian crisis and farmers’ issues at the centre of the national agenda after many decades. They were also having a political impact, as seen in the defeat of the BJP in the recent assembly elections in three states in the Hindi heartland, and in the new regimes there having to declare a partial farm loan waiver within two days of assuming office.

Branding the Modi government as the most anti-farmer, anti-worker, anti-people, pro-corporate, communal, casteist and corrupt regime in Independent India, he stressed that it must be resoundingly defeated to save democracy, secularism, statutory institutions, the Constitution and the idea of India itself.

He said that the Congress in Kerala is acting as the ‘B’ team of the BJP-RSS, as seen in its thoroughly opportunist stand on Sabarimala, and it too must be soundly defeated. He asserted that it is only the LDF that can and will defeat both these reactionary forces and take the people of Kerala forward in the years ahead.

The convention was attended by AIKS vice president K S Preeja, CKC members K N Balagopal and Omalloor Sankaran (who also did a fine translation of the speech), AIKC members George Mathew, P K Sudhakaran, Valson Panoli, P Vishwan and many other AIKS leaders of Kerala.