CPI marks centenary with rally and public meeting in Visakhapatnam

An impressive rally with red flags and banners was taken out by CPI workers and activists from Saraswathi Park to the Gandhi statue near the GVMC on Friday to mark the centenary year of the party’s formation. The rally concluded with a public meeting. Addressing the gathering, CPI national council member J.V.S.N. Murthy said the CPI was the only political party in India with a century-long history of struggles on behalf of the common people. Over the last 100 years, the party had fought for workers, the economically poor and farmers, who together constituted nearly 90% of the population, he said. The CPI had led struggles against the zamindari system under the slogan ‘land to the tiller’ and was instrumental in the distribution of about 10 lakh acres of land to poor farmers. Mr. Murthy said the CPI was the first political party to raise the slogan of ‘Complete Independence’ from British rule and had actively participated in the freedom struggle. It had also fought for the establishment of public sector industries, construction of irrigation projects and the nationalisation of banks. Communist leaders had made several sacrifices and gone to jail while fighting for people’s causes, he said. Referring to the ‘Veera Telangana’ struggle, Mr. Murthy said the Communists had revolted against the Razakars and the Nizam Nawabs, in which over 4,000 leaders and party workers laid down their lives. He alleged that BJP leaders, who did not participate in the freedom movement, were now attempting to change the name of the MGNREGA scheme, named after Mahatma Gandhi. While the Communists were waging struggles for the protection of public sector undertakings, the present rulers were promoting privatisation to favour corporate groups, he alleged, and called upon party workers to stand firmly with workers opposing privatisation. CPI State council member Chalasani Raghavendra Rao, State Control Commission secretary A.J. Stalin, State council members M. Pydiraju and A. Vimala, and AITUC national vice president D. Adinarayana also addressed the meeting. CPI district secretary Sk Rahaman presided. CPI State assistant secretaries P. Chandrasekhar and Kasireddy Satyanarayana were among those who participated. Published - December 26, 2025 11:13 pm IST

Preview: ~355 words