CPIM leader moots unification of the Communist parties in India

Kasargod, Oct 29: Left Front will be able to sustain its relevance in national politics only through the unification of the Communist parties, opined Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader K.R. Aravindakshan.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday at Alappuzha, he said that he was optimistic that major changes will emerge within the Left coalition through the political circumstances that prevailed in the country. The closer ties among Left parties were required to counter the communal and capitalist policies of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he remarked.

The Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samithi (JSS) and the K.R. Aravindakshan faction of CMP has decided to jointly organise a convention of coconut farmers at Alappuzha on November 1. The convention has been aimed at highlighting the difficulties faced by the farmers and also the problems that affected the sector.

JSS general secretary K.R. Gouri will inaugurate the function. Mr. Aravindakshan, who will preside over the meeting, pointed out that Ms. Gouri had been instrumental in obtaining Central sanction for a Rs. 1,996-crore project for development of coconut cultivation during her tenure as Agriculture Minister in the UDF government of 2001-2006.

“The project included provisions to cut down large number of trees that were affected by the root wilt disease and replace them with new ones of varieties that were resistant to the disease. Unfortunately, the successive UDF and LDF governments failed to implement the project, thereby leading to the lapse of the sanctioned funds,” he said. He added that, in contrast to the rubber sector, very little was being done to promote coconut farming and protect farmers.