AIALA’s 4th State Conference of Tamil Nadu was held on 18-19th December in Kumbakonam. The conference was held in the background of revelations of massive corruption in the allotment of 2G Spectrum airwaves – a scam which has left the ruling DMK thoroughly discredited, and which has exposed not just the corruption of ex-telecom Minister A. Raja but also Chief Minister Karunanidhi’s desperate attempts to shield him. At the same time, the Niira Radia tapes have revealed beyond any doubt the extent of crony capitalism in India, as ruling class parties, the corporate media and business houses collude to loot the nation’s resources.

Even as the DMK government stands indicted in a massive land scam involving illegal allotment of land and buildings belonging to the Tamil Nadu Housing Board at cheap rates to several top ranking officials in the state (including high court judges, IAS officers and police officials), Chief Minister Karaunanidhi claims that the government cannot fulfill DMK’s election-time promise of giving 2 acres of land to each landless family since there is no land available. The DMK government has been claiming that agricultural labourers and farmers in the state can enjoy dignified lives thanks to the spate of schemes announced by the government (including monthly pension of Rs. 500 for the members of the Agricultural Laborers and Farmers Welfare Board, cheap rice, concrete housing, free televisions, gas and health insurance).

However, the reality is otherwise. The peasantry in the state has suffered heavy damage due to the rains and the agricultural laborers in particular could not find jobs to sustain themselves during the rains. In this situation, the total ‘relief’ package announced by the TN government was only Rs.500 crores! Farmers and agrarian labourers could not but help compare this pittance of a Rs. 500 crores ‘relief’ with the Rs.1,76,000 crores involved in spectrum scam. The simmering anger against the anti-people policies of the DMK government found a voice in the support that AIALA has received from the rural poor of the state – a support that was amply reflected in AIALA’s increased membership. 51,180 members were recruited in the membership campaign launched prior to the conference. This membership is from 129 panchayats. AIALA now has more than 10,000 members in three districts, more than 1,000 members in 9 panchayats and more than 1,600 members in one panchayat. Therefore, this conference saw a significant improvement in the membership and support of AIALA in Tamil Nadu. Before this state-level conference, panchayat level conferences (in panchayats having more than 500 members) were held in 34 panchayats.

A week-long mobilization campaign for AIALA’s rally and conference in December was held in the villages of Villupuram and Tanjore districts in the month of November. The 18th December Kumbakonam conference began with a rally in which 1,500 rural poor participated. The rally went through the main streets of Kumbakonam, raising slogans against the DMK government. The non-fulfillment of promises – 2 acres land for each landless family, homestead lands and pattas, inclusion of rural poor in the BPL list, Rs.200 daily wages and guaranteed work for 200 days under the NREGA scheme – was highlighted during the rally which culminated near the Mahamaham Tank.

At the conference, the mass meeting was presided over by Com. TKS Janardhanan, State President of AIALA. The ‘Martyrs Torch’ carried from Manaloor, the martyrdom site of comrades Chandrakumar and Chandrasekar and presented to AIALA and CPI(ML) leaders. Two minutes silence was observed in memory of Com. Vinod Mishra, Com. Ramnaresh Ram, other martyrs and departed leaders. Com. Dhirendra Jha (AIALA Gen. Secy.), Com. S. Kumarasami, Politburo member of CPI(ML), as well as Com. Thenmozhi (AIPWA State President) addressed the meeting.

Several resolutions were passed placed by Com. Venkatesan, State Secretary of AIALA. Comrades Palanivel and Krishnamoorthy (AICCTU office bearers), donated Rs. 40,000 to the conference, collected from workers of Pricol, TIDC, MRF and Hyundai. Com. Rameshwar Prasad (AIALA National President), Com. Balasundaram (CPI(ML) State Secretary) N.K. Natarajan (State Gen. Secy. AICCTU), Com. Bharati (State President of AISA), Com. Balasubramanian (CPI(ML) State Secretary, Puducherry) and office bearers of AIALA were also present at the meeting.

On 19th December, Com. Rameshawar Prasad hoisted the party flag in front of the conference hall named after Comrades Vinod Mishra and Ramnaresh Ram and inaugurated the delegate session. The Conference paid homage to other martyrs and departed leaders. Addressing the conference, Com. Rameshwar Prasad, noting that AIALA is emerging in Tamil Nadu too, appealed to the delegates to intensify the land struggles at panchayat levels in the coming days. The conference was attended by 123 delegates (including 33 women), from 14 districts. The conference was conducted by a 9-member presidium, with 4 women members, chaired by Com. Ilangovan. Com. S. Janakiraman, outgoing Gen. Secretary, presented the work report. The report highlighted the significant improvements that AIALA has made after the 3rd conference and put forth certain key questions for debate such as the need to develop an internal dynamism in AIALA work from the top to bottom, to intensify work at the block levels, and to develop a network of promising activists and cadres. Com. Janakiraman summed up the discussions and the draft report was unanimously adopted by the house.

Election for the next AIALA state body was conducted by Comrades Dhirendra Jha and Balasundaram (All-India Vice-President of AIALA). A 55-member State Council was elected which in turn elected a 19-member state executive. 11 members – TKS. Janardhanan, S. Janakiraman, C. Ponraj, P. Usha, M. Venkatesan, Senbagavalli, S. Ammaiyappan, V.M. Valathan, Rajangam, S. Ilangovan, and T.Kannaian – were elected as office bearers. Com.TKS Janardhanan was elected as State President and Com. S. Janakiraman was re-elected as State Gen. Secy. Comrades S. Kumarasami, Balasundaram, S.Balasubramaniam, Com. N.K. Natarajan, Com. Bhuvaneswari (State Dy. Gen. Secy. AICCTU), Com. Rameshwar Prasad, the AISA State Secretary and Com. Mathikannan (of the cultural forum Manuda Vidudhalai Pannpattu Kazhakam) spoke at the conference.

The conference came to a close with a rendering of the Internationale.

--S. Janakiraman