Tamil Nadu state 12th state conference of CPIML was inaugurated by comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya on 12 Dec 2025 at Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) through an open session held against the SIR 2.0 in Tamil Nadu and against the anti-worker Labour Codes. Tamil Nadu state Minister of Social Welfare and Women Empowerment department, Ms Geetha Jeevan of DMK, the founder president of Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VCK) comrade Thirumavalavan, the state secretary of CPI(M) comrade Shanmugam, the state secretary of CPI comrade M Veerapandian, the state secretary of Makkal Adhikaram comrade Chezhian addressed the gathering along with comrades Shankar V, the Politbureau Incharge for Tamil Nadu, CC members Balasundaram and Balasubramanian. DMK MP Kanimozhi sent her message of greetings to the conference which was read out. The state secretary Asaithambi presided over the open session while Chandramohan proposed the resolutions. Comrades Simpson, Sankara Pandian, Anthony Muthu and Suseela coordinated the session while Sagayam welcomed the gathering and Murugan delivered vote of thanks.
Comrade Dipankar said that Thoothukudi inherits the great legacy of VOC, a great freedom fighter, who challenged the domination of the British imperialism by launching India's first indigenous Swadeshi Navigation Service. At the same time, he fought for workers' rights too. The people who fought against colonial rule, who fought for independence of India, most of them, also fought against feudalism, for the rights of the depressed classes and against capitalism, for the rights of India's workers. Before 1947, India's national liberation went along with the call for nationalization. When Ambedkar wrote 'States and Minorities', he indicated the kind of constitution that he actually wanted to draft for India, but couldn't do it in the given situation. He wanted complete nationalization, nationalization of all the productive forces and land resources. Before 1947, nationalism and nationalization went hand-in-hand. Today Narendra Modi wants to impose a model of nationalism which actually is denationalization and privatization. Everything for Adani, Ambani, a concentration of wealth in ever fewer hands. That is what is the nationalism, hyper-nationalism, hidden nationalism of the BJP.
Speaking about the unconstitutional SIR, he said the SIR is a denial of our universal voting right. India's electoral democracy rests on two pillars. One is Universal Adult Suffrage, Universal Adult Franchise which is being destroyed by SIR. The other one is a free and fair elections which needs an impartial election commission which is transparent and which works according to the Constitution. But we have an election commission which is aligned to the government and it doesn't care for the Constitution, transparency and accountability. The elections are becoming more and more uncertain, more and more unfair and more and more difficult for the people of India. But I'm sure the people of Tamil Nadu, with the experience of Maharashtra and Bihar, will be able to resist the BJP, defeat the BJP, give it a resounding kind of defeat.
DMK minister Geetha Jeevan expressed her best wishes for the conference of and called upon people to fight against the BJP’s conspiracy to convert secular Tamil Nadu into a land of communal strife like UP. She emphasised on the BJP led union government denying funds for the welfare schemes in Tamil Nadu.
Comrade Thirumavalavan came down heavily on the SIR 2.0 saying that the Election Commission is disenfranchising the people and violating the constitution. Universal adult franchise is the fundamental proposition of the constitution which is being taken away now. Another most important basic tenet is secularism. But, the BJP want to convert the country into a Hindu Rashtra by replacing the existing secular constitution with Manu Smriti. Ambedkar’s statues are being erected while the soul of Ambedkar’s contribution to the country, the constitution, is being destroyed. Unlike communists, Dr Ambedkar believed in a revolution and change through parliamentary path and parliamentary democracy. He was never against socialism. There is a need for a much closer interaction between communist movement and the dalit movement in the country. Communists, instead of branding dalit movement as an identity based one, should work towards Left orientation of the dalit movement, he said.
Comrade Shanmugam, the state secretary of CPI(M), emphasised on the organic unity of the left, democratic and progressive forces of the country. He placed utmost emphasis on the unity of the left that is the need of the times. He called upon the people and left forces to unitedly fight against neoliberal policies, communal forces and for a progressive democracy.
Comrade M Veerapandian, the state secretary of CPI, explained in detail the Hindutva design of converting individual religious belief into politics of hate. Whatever be the design of communal forces, ultimately the socialism, the humanism, the science, the unity of the Indian people will emerge victorious.
Comrade Chezhian, the state secretary of Makkal Adhikaram, said that the SIR 2.0 is nothing but a mass disenfranchisement. The BJP is ruling the country in favour of the corporates and particularly in favour of Adanis and Ambanis and against the workers, toilers, agricultural labourers and poor farmers. He said that there is a need to form a democratic coalition with alternative perspective on everything, including economy, politics and culture.
The open session was named after VOC (VO Chidambaranar), who was a freedom fighter and jailed for more than four years. He was the first Indian to operate the first Indian Navigation company against the British by raising funds from among the people. The session was also dedicated to the memory of Sterlite Martyrs, 13 of whom lost their life in the struggle against pollution by Vedanta’s Sterlite company in the city.
The conference resolved to carry forward the legacy of anti-colonial struggle of the city represented by VOC and other freedom fighters and the spirit of 13 Sterlite martyrs. Criticised the SIR 2.0 that was being implemented to favour the BJP and aimed at denying voting rights to the minorities, dalits, poor and the downtrodden. The conference decided to undertake a mass struggle independently and jointly with other likeminded forces. The open session resolved to wage an uncompromising struggle to withdraw the Labour Codes of slavery. The conference decided to defeat the RSS conspiracy to convert Madurai (Thiruparangunram hills of Lord Muruga) into an Ayodhya of South India by inciting communal passions. It also welcomed the Impeachment motion advanced by INDIA bloc in the Parliament against the judge Swaminathan of Madurai Bench of Madras High Court who misused his offices to favour communal forces. Passed resolutions against the anti-farmer Seed Bill and Electricity Amendment Bill and demanded implementation of Swaminathan Committee report. The conference also demanded installation of a Sterlite Martyrs Memorial, withdrawal of all false cases and stringent actions recommended by Aruna Jagadeesan Commission against officials responsible for the police firing in favour of Vedanta. The conference appealed to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr MK Stalin to personally intervene to amicably resolve the issues of sanitation workers of Chennai. It also expressed its solidarity with the campaign demanding minimum wages and extension of meal scheme to sanitation workers across the state and also liberation from debt trap and Rs 25,000 to each family with a ration card. The open session also demanded immediate closure of three fish waste factories that destroy the environment, agriculture and the ground water. The conference also resolved to undertake a campaign for the release of Pricol workers, comrades Manivannan and Ramamurthy who are languishing in jail for more than ten years under fabricated cases.
The delegates session inaugurated by comrade Dipankar began in the evening of 12th Dec. Comrade Asaithambi, the secretary of the outgoing state committee presented the draft report of the conference. The 13 member presidium led by the veteran comrade Simpson invited delegates to share their opinions on the draft.
In the context of the state politics, the delegates cautioned about the growing influence of communal forces that invoke Hindutva in the name of Tamil God Murugan and noted the politics of social engineering being played by the BJP. The conference resolved to focus on uprooting BJP and its communal Hindutva ideology from the soil of Tamil Nadu. The political tactics of defeating communal forces as the central task was consented by most of the delegates and suggested various actions consistent to the anti-fascist political line.
The conference also noted the emergence of the TVK led by actor Vijay that exhibits an overwhelming tendency of anti-DMK than anti-BJP in spite of claims against the politics of the BJP. The conference also cautioned the potential of opportunism in proclamations of equi-distance with DMK and BJP alliances, without identifying BJP alliance as the main danger to the people, constitution and the democracy. The conference suggested an approach of wait and watch as the TVK is in its infancy now, yet to come up with a comprehensive political framework.
The conference duely acknowledged the DMK alliance’s contributions in the struggle for state’s rights, social justice, interests of Tamils and against the politics of Hindutva represented by the BJP. At the same time, it also criticised the DMK government for its pro-corporate approach against workers, agricultural labourers and farmers in the name of transforming Tamil Nadu into a state of a Trillion dollar economy. It also noted the growing atrocities against dalits, against women and the increasing number of honour killings. Resolved to carry forward the uncompromising class struggle into the arena of politics.
More than 70 delegates out of 369 participated in the deliberations. Comrade Asaithambi summed up the debates and the draft was unanimously adopted by the house with some amendments.
Comrade Shankar, the Incharge of Tamil Nadu party affairs delivered the concluding address of the conference.
The Central Observer comrade Maitreyi Krishnan, conducted the election of the new state committee in a most democratic atmosphere adhering to the principles of the party constitution. 65 member state committee was elected by the conference and comrade Asaithambi was re-elected as the state secretary.
Comrades Kumarasami, advisor to AICCTU, Barathi, state president of AICCTU, Bhuvana, editor of the workers magazine, Solidarity, in Tamil, Kerala state secretary Johnson Ambatt, Puducherry state secretary Purushottaman and CC member Balasubramanian addressed the delegates session of the conference. CCM Balasundaram clarified basic political positions of the draft while Chandramohan read out the resolutions.
