KOLKATA,20th December, 2008(INN): The basic thrust of arguments of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Bengal chief minister and former youth leader was this: the youth historically could make or break a nation. Buddhadeb addressed the afternoon rally of DYFI under a powdery blue pre-winter sky of the Kolkata maidan, as part of its 15th state conference of the organisation in progress at the Jadavpur stadium. The assemblage served as the open session.
Biman Basu on the other hand delineated the tortuous path that lay ahead of the youth what with the fulmination of imperialism-driven forces of division and fundamentalism attacking the democratic fabric of the nation.
All-India DYFI leader Tapas Sinha was strongly critical of the Bengal opposition. State DYFI secretary Avas Roychaudhury spoke in Bengali and Urdu, concentrated on the challenges that lay ahead, and went on to stress employment generation through industrialisation. Youth leader Pratim Ghosh presided.
Biman Basu who started by suggesting that the membership of the Bengal DYFI would be certain to exceed the existing figure of 97, 84, 784, come January 2009, said that the circulation of the state youth mouthpiece Yuvashakti stood at 1, 42, 500 and was growing all the time.
Speaking on the three forms of menace that swarmed on the Indian societal structure, class-divided as it was, Biman Basu concentrated first on the communal divide, noting that it had been the British policy of ‘divide and rule’ that had rooted in the feeling of antagonism amongst two communities in this country albeit partially yet with a vicious post-colonial, imperialist-fuelled aftermath.
The second menace was that forthcoming from imperialist expansion-domination-division itself. Creation of dissension amongst people of the developing countries was illustrated by the speaker with citation from the African continent, especially, the division and re-division of Ethiopia – into the creation of Eritrea and then Somalia (now a forward post of piracy in international waters.
The third hazard was the attack of consumerist, individualistic, and atavistic cultural practices on the field of mass culture. A sensitive issue, mass culture must be delved deeply into and developed-- especially under the leadership of the young talents of the Bengal youth, first preserving the cultural mores, and then advancing them.
Meeting all three challenges would also concomitantly advance the level of political consciousness among the people, especially the youth who represent more than 55% of the population. The struggle imperialism, divisiveness, and religious fundamentalism as well as terrorism must go on relentlessly all the while, concluded the CPI (M) leader.
Identifying the youth as an army of social change, Buddhadeb said that should the youth be misled or misinformed, they can and would produce monstrosities like der fuehrer Hitler in Germany, il duce Mussolini in Italy, and generalissimo Suharto in Indonesia. On the other hand, socialism grew and set firm roots in places like Vietnam, China, and Cuba thanks to the correct leadership of the youth provided by Mao, Fidel, and Ho. Progress made by youth of a country determines the present and future of the nation.
Lambasting capitalism as a system based on unequal competition and run-away exploitation, Buddhadeb said that domination and violence were operative words in a capitalist society. Referring to US president-elect Barrack Hussein Obama as a ‘black person in the White House’ whose previous occupier had been shooed out of late, Buddhadeb said that there had recently been a solid build up against the US from China, Russia, and most nation’s of Latin America.
Critiquing Manmohan Singh’s government for declaring itself an ally of a US which was engaged in the work of ruining nations like Iraq and Afghanistan, Buddhadeb pointed out to the rally that the anti-people Congress and the BJP, the latter’s danger emanating additionally from its religious fundamentalism, must both make way for a viable Left-secular-democratic Third Alternative which must grow as a political force across the country.
Buddhadeb concluded by iterating the need for generation of employment and called for the youth to strengthen the hands of the pro-people and pro-poor Left Front government in building momentum in the process of industrialisation across Bengal, a process that would surely be employment-oriented and labour-intensive. Finally, he praised the solidarity of the people against forces of division and described the Maoists from across the state border as cowardly killers who would not even spare medical staff.
The rally began with rendering of mass songs by eminent popular singers and accompanists.
BY B. PRASANT
Express News Service
Posted: Dec 21, 2008 at 0403 hrs
Kolkata: Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee hit out at Maoists groups operating in the state and said, “Maoists are cowards and devils, who are running their operations from the neighbouring Jharkhand.” He was addressing a rally of Democratic Youth Federation Of India (DYFI), the CPM’s youth wing, at the Brigade Parade ground on Saturday.
Bhattacharjee also slammed separatist movements carried out by forces like Kamtapuri Liberation Organisation, Gorkha Janamukti Morcha and the ultra-Left forces. He made it clear that the government will not tolerate any attempt to divide the territory of West Bengal.
With the Lok Sabha polls just round the corner, he suggested that the Left forces would have to float a third alternative without the BJP and the Congress. “Both the NDA government and the UPA government followed a foreign policy, which was influenced by the US. We don’t want these parties to come to power again in Delhi,” he said. Bhattacharjee, however, added: “We know that forming the third alternative will be a difficult task for the Left .”
The chief minister claimed that India became a victim of the economic meltdown in US and banking, steel and IT sector of India were adversely affected. Bhattacharjee also said the Left has played a major role in preventing US companies from entering the Indian market. “We have saved our countrymen from a stringent economic crisis by preventing the US banking and insurance companies from entering our market,” he added.
Regarding the rollback of Nano project, Bhattacharjee said: “Did we commit any mistake by setting up a car manufacturing unit in Singur? West Bengal has produced record quantities of rice and vegetables. Now people want jobs and for that we need industries.”
The CM accused the Trinamool Congress of creating hurdles for industrialisation. “The principal opposition party in our state is trying to confine our operations only to agriculture. But the agricultural sector does not have the capacity to provide huge employment,” he said.
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