A tribal dance troupe at the rally of the CPI(M-L) in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 7: The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) today expressed its resolve to offer people a “revolutionary” alternative which would lead them in the “right” direction.

Party general secretar, K. N. Ramachandran, who is here to attend the 9th party Congress, advocated this line while dismissing the path being followed by the two main communist parties of the country and the Maoists. The Maoists, he said, believed in forming jungle squads which would only spread anarchy.

The five-day Congress, being held in the city after 41 years, has drawn representatives from 12 countries. Delegates from 19 Indian states are participating in the deliberations, which would decide the future course of the party.

The city roads were choc-a-bloc with flag-bearing CPI(M-L) cadres marching in a procession through the main thoroughfares.

Later, they converged at a public meeting venue at Unit-IX to listen to their leaders who called upon the party workers to continue their fight for the creation of a “just social order”.

The leaders also flayed the parties which have made compromises with capitalists and forgotten the larger goal of bringing about a change in the existing political system. They also lashed out at the economic policies of the central government finding faults with liberalisation.

The Congress assumes special significance as it is being held at a time when Orissa government is backing several controversial industrial projects, including the proposed 12-million-tonne Posco steel plant and the alumina refinery of Vedanta group. While green activists have been criticising the Orissa government for supporting these projects ignoring environmental aspects, certain groups have also alleged that such projects would make the poor poorer as the downtrodden sections were unlikely to benefit substantially from these.

Another area of strife in Orissa is the Chilika lake where the CPI(M-L) has been extending support to the traditional fishermen in their war against prawn culture. Activists argue that prawn culture is not only polluting Chilika and adding to its silt load, it is also threatening to rob the local fishermen of their livelihood.

The anti-prawn groups remain critical of the Orissa government which, they allege, has been backing the prawn culturists.

They also allege that the Orissa government is yet to come out with a definitive piece of legislation to regulate fishing in the lake.