Visakhapatnam, April 17: The CPM party congress today passed resolutions to uphold "Net neutrality" and demand strict intervention to ensure "gender equality", in an attempt to increase its influence on social media and attract women.

The party has failed to attract the youth and women and feels its slogans and programmes do not strike a chord with these sections. These resolutions would help it woo the two groups, the CPM believes.

"We are the first party to pass a resolution on Net neutrality. We believe that there cannot be any control of the accessibility to the Internet", politburo member Sitaram Yechury said.

The resolution calls upon the people to defeat attempts to violate Net neutrality and limit access to the Internet, and asks the government to define the Internet as a "public utility".

The CPM has belatedly taken to social sites like Twitter and Facebook in a big way.

The resolution on "gender equality" calls upon the government "to set up a mechanism in Parliament and state Assemblies to make elected members and leaders accountable and punishable for any sexist or demeaning statements they make against women".