Date:02/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/02/stories/2008040260671700.htm

National

Party will address uneven growth: Ramachandran Pillai

Vinay Kumar

To step up efforts for rapid expansion in northern States

No substantial progress made in “weak” States
Membership up by 25.7 per cent in the last three years

COIMBATORE: After making progress in expanding its base in five States — West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura — and registering an increase by 1.14 lakh in its membership since the 18th Congress three years ago, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday decided to step up efforts for rapid expansion in northern States.

Briefing reporters on the fourth day of the ongoing 19th party Congress here, Polit Bureau member S. Ramachandran Pillai said that 46 per cent of the party membership was below 40 years of age, nearly 20 per cent belonged to the scheduled castes, and 12 per cent were women.

Mr. Pillai presented two parts of the political-organisational report to the party Congress which evaluated the implementation of the tasks of developing the organisation set out by the 18th Congress. He said the membership of the class and mass organisations increased by 25.7 per cent in the last three years — the largest increase between two Congresses. However, Mr. Pillai said, that the growth was uneven and the bulk of the membership of the mass organisations belonged to the five States. The basic membership of the CPI(M) at the end of 2007 stood at 9.82 lakh as against 9.05 lakh in 2005.

Mr. Pillai said the party increased its membership in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu but no substantial progress was made in “weak” States in the north. He said Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra were some of the States where the party would increase its presence and embark on a membership drive.

“More efforts are required to increase the representation of the women in the party as well,” he said.

Mr. Pillai said many delegates expressed concern about the party’s uneven growth and wanted more efforts to be taken in the Hindi-speaking region.

In the context of Kerala and factionalism, Mr. Pillai said the party’s efforts to sort out the problem had made “substantial progress.”

Among the mass fronts of the CPI(M), the agricultural workers’ front registered an impressive growth of 44.7 per cent in its membership since the 18th Congress while the women’s front membership rose by 36.7 per cent during the same period.