Textile town gets ready to welcome CPI(M) cadres

Coimbatore, Mar 27: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), is all set to commence its 19th Congress from March 29 here and the entire textile city has been decorated with its party flag and cutouts, besides flex boards depicting the party slogans with the photos of party leaders.

Huge cutouts of party General Secretary Prakash Karat could be seen in most parts of the city, besides cutouts of other party leaders like Jyoti Basu, Manik Sarkar, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Achuthanandan, in a typical Tamil Nadu style.The leaders from all over the country would start marching to this city from today to attend the six-day event. Kerala Chief Minister Achuthanandan has arrived this morning by road.

The party is organising a high level polit bureau meet, followed by party central committee meet to discuss the topics for the deliberations tomorrow.

The SRN Auditorium in Avarampalayam, Peelamedu, with a sitting capacity of around 1,000, had been decorated for the session. The party had also erected a huge pandal at the circus ground in which seminars on various topics, documentary films and cultural programmes of artists from all over the country would be held on the eve of first five days of the National Congress.

The delegates, besides discussing various national issues and strategy for the forth coming Lok Sabha elections, would also discuss the unsustainability of finance capital-driven globalisation, the limits of the US military intervention, the growing resistance to imperialist hegemony and the growing economic strength of China and other major developing countries.

For the first time in the National Congress, a complete-day would be dedicated to discussion of issues of the three states, where the Communist Government is in power. The topic would be ''present functioning and how to improve,'' says party state Secretary N Varadharajan.

The city police were keeping a close vigil for the last one week on the main protestors against this mega event, namely BJP, Hindu Makkal Katchi (HKM) and CPI(ML). The workers of BJP and HMK created tension at Nanjappa road on Monday night, demanding the removal of a digital board put up by the CPI-M cadres, depicting former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee in bad taste. As tension mounted the police advised the local CPM leaders to remove the board.

Meanwhile, HMK President Arjun Sampath had filed a case in the High Court against the congress, as it would affect the students who were writing the SSC examinations. The Judge also advised the city police commissioner to make proper arrangements, in his verdict.

A cadre of CPI (ML) was attacked few days back by CPI(M) workers while he was speaking against the congress in public. They had also planned to resort to agitation during the congress.

Meanwhile, the BJP announced that they would show black flags against Kerala Chief Minister Achutanandan and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for Kannur and Nandigram incidents.

According to BJP sources, this will pay back the CPI-M for its agitation against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's visit to this city some time ago.

A city police top official said they had made elaborate security arrangements in view of threats posed by the some political parties. All the venues of the meeting witnessed a large number of uniformed and plain clothes police officials to prevent any untoward incidents, he added.

UNI