CPI kicks off 25th national congress with Mohali rally today

On September 22, the formal inauguration will take place at Kisan Bhavan with a flag-hoisting ceremony by professor Jagmohan Singh, nephew of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. The inaugural session will be addressed by D Raja and other national leaders. Leaders from CPI(M), RSP, Forward Bloc and CPI(ML) Liberation, including M A Baby, Dipankar Bhattacharya, G Devarajan and Manoj Bhattacharya, will also speak.

Between September 22 and 24, discussions and delegate sessions will focus on political and social issues, including what CPI describes as the Centre’s “authoritarian approach” and the ongoing flood crisis in Punjab. Condolence resolutions, political reports, and organisational deliberations will also be taken up.

The congress will conclude on September 25 with elections to the Central Control Commission, National Council, National Executive, National Council General Secretary, and National Secretariat. A special resolution will be passed to commemorate the birth centenary of former General Secretary A B Bardhan.

Cultural programmes will be held every evening, featuring performances by Doli Guleria, daughter of Punjab’s nightingale Surinder Kaur, her niece Sunaini Sharma, artists from Chhattisgarh, and theatre groups staging plays on people’s issues.

CPI leaders said preparations for both the rally and the Congress have been completed. Volunteers have already taken charge at the Mohali venue, which is being decorated with flags and banners. “This Congress will be a milestone not only for the CPI but also for progressive forces across the country,” the leaders said.

At the rally, leaders are expected to criticise the Centre’s “anti-people and divisive policies” and demand fulfilment of its promise of two crore jobs for youth. They will also press for adequate flood relief for Punjab and other states hit by recent disasters.