The Seventh All India Congress of CPI(ML) was held at Patna, renamed Vinod Mishra Nagar for the occasion, from 25 to 30 November, 2002. More than 700 delegates and around 50 observers and Indian and foreign guests attended the Congress. While
the delegates came from 21 states and Union Territories of India and from among the Indian diaspora in Britain, Canada, US and Thailand, foreign guests came from as far as Australia and Norway to neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
The participation of comrades from all over South Asia conveyed a refreshing message of growing cross-border solidarity among progressive forces and presented a sharp contrast to the ruling classes’ politics of national chauvinism and communal divide. In addition, solidarity messages were received from MLPD of Germany, Romanian Labour Party, Italian Marxist-Leninist Party, Communist Party of the Philippines, the PMP-Merger (Philippines Workers’ Party), Socialist Party of Malaysia, Workers’ Party of Belgium, and a host of eminent individuals from within and without India.
The inaugural open session of the 7th Congress was held on 25 November at “Chandrashekhar manch” or the open air auditorium of the Bharatiya Nrityakala Kendra (BNK), where a number of veteran communist leaders from Bihar were felicitated. The delegate session started the same evening at the main auditotium (renamed “Taqi Rahim Sabhagaar”) of BNK and it continued up to the wee hours of Novemebr 30.
The Congress discussed and unanimously adopted the draft Political-Organisational Report placed by comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya after incorporating a good number of amendments proposed by the delegates. The Congress also heard the report of the Central Control Commission (CCC).
The Congress elected a five member CCC and a 41-member Central Committee. Members of the new CCC are : Comrades Raja Ram, Geeta Das, Harendranath Barthakur, Surendra Prasad and Krishnavatar Pandey. Comrade Raja Ram was elected chairperson of the CCC, and hence an ex-officio member of the CC. The other members of the Seventh Central Committee are Comrades Dipankar Bhattacharya, Swadesh Bhattacharya, Ram Naresh Ram, DP Bakshi, Rubul Sarmah, NK Prasad, Kartick Pal, Ramjatan Sharma, Akhilendra Pratap Singh, Amar, Kunal, Rameshwar Prasad, Meena Tewari, Dhirendra Jha, Partha Ghosh, Arindam Sen, KD Yadav, Ramji Rai, Mrinmoy Chakraborty, Khitish Biswal, Malleswar Rao, NVSSN Murty, Bangar Rao, V Shankar, S Kumarswamy, S Balasundaram, Swapan Mukherjee, B Sivaraman, Jayanta Rongpi, Srilata Swaminathan, Kumudini Pati, Rajendra Pratholi, Mahendra Singh, Ibnul Hasan Basru, Subhendu Sen, Janardan Prasad, Prabhat Chaudhry, Saroj Chaube, Krishna Adhikari and BB Pandey. Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya was reelected General Secretary of the Party.
On 30 November, tens of thousands of people assembled at the historic Gandhi Maidan in a fitting finale to the Seventh Congress. In addition to CPI(ML) leaders, leaders of fraternal parties also addressed the session.
The newly elected Central Committee in its first full sesion held between 20 and 23 December 2002 at Delhi, elected a nine-member Political Bureau comprising comrades Dipankar Bhattacharya, Swadesh Bhattacharya, Ram Naresh Ram, NK Prasad, DP Bakshi, Rubul Sarma, Kartick Pal, Ramjatan Sharma and Akhilendra Pratap Singh. q