The three-day meeting of the CPI(M) Odisha State Committee and a state-level cadre convention, held in Bhubaneswar from June 6 to 8, discussed the prevailing international, national and state situation and adopted an extensive programme of political and mass mobilisation against corporate exploitation, communal polarisation and the anti-people policies of the BJP governments at the Centre and in Odisha.

Addressing the State Committee meeting and cadre convention, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Srideep Bhattacharya analysed the current international and national developments. He pointed out that the world is witnessing intensified imperialist aggression, wars and interventions, with global monopoly capital seeking to shift the burden of economic crises onto working people. Reiterating solidarity with the people of Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela and Iran, as well as all those resisting imperialist domination and occupation, he stressed the need to strengthen anti-imperialist struggles, international solidarity and the worldwide movement for peace, sovereignty and social justice.

Referring to the national situation, Bhattacharya observed that the BJP-led Union government continues to pursue neo-liberal policies favouring big corporate interests while simultaneously advancing the RSS-Hindutva agenda aimed at deepening communal divisions and weakening India's secular-democratic foundations. He warned of growing attacks on democratic rights, federalism, public sector institutions, labour rights and social justice, and called for the broadest democratic unity against communalism, authoritarianism and corporate-driven policies that exhibit neo-fascist characteristics.

Presenting the political-organisational report, CPI(M) Odisha state secretary Suresh Chandra Panigrahy stated that the BJP government in Odisha has emerged as an active executor of the Centre’s pro-corporate and communal agenda. He highlighted worsening unemployment, agrarian distress, attacks on tribal rights, privatisation of public services, communal polarisation and growing hardships faced by the people.

The State Committee expressed serious concern over the rapid expansion of RSS activities and communal mobilisation across Odisha. Attempts to divide people on religious and caste lines, incidents of communal tension and attacks on minorities were described as a serious threat to Odisha's long-standing traditions of communal harmony and social coexistence.

A major focus of the discussions was the growing corporate exploitation of Odisha's natural resources. The meeting criticised the BJP government for facilitating the transfer of valuable mineral resources to large corporate groups and condemned attempts to push mining and industrial projects in tribal areas such as Niyamgiri, Sijimali, Kashipur and Balda while undermining the rights of local communities. The State Committee denounced the use of administrative and police machinery to suppress democratic protests and weaken constitutional safeguards, including the authority of gram sabhas.

The meeting observed that the law and order situation in Odisha has deteriorated sharply, with rising incidents of violence against women, organised crime, mob attacks and growing insecurity among the people. It also expressed concern over the worsening condition of public health and education, marked by large-scale vacancies, inadequate infrastructure and increasing privatisation and commercialisation.

The State Committee further highlighted the agrarian crisis, procurement irregularities, delayed payments to farmers, rising cultivation costs and growing indebtedness. It also drew attention to rising unemployment among educated youth, expansion of contractualisation and outsourcing, and inadequate implementation of MGNREGA. The meeting adopted a series of demands, including an immediate halt to corporate plunder of natural resources; protection of tribal rights over land, forests and water; effective measures against communal violence and hate politics; strengthening of law and order; filling all vacancies in health and education sectors; large-scale recruitment in government services; implementation of 100 days of guaranteed employment under MGNREGA and scrapping of VBGRAMG, with wages linked to the state's minimum wage rates; assured and timely payments to farmers; remunerative crop prices; expansion of public services; and protection of democratic and constitutional rights.

The State Committee adopted an extensive programme of political and mass mobilisation for the coming period. A 10-day grassroots-level campaign will be organised across Odisha in July to take the Party's political assessment and demands among workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, youth, women, Adivasis, Dalits and other democratic sections. The campaign will focus on unemployment, agrarian distress, attacks on tribal rights, rising prices, deteriorating law and order, privatisation of public services, corporate plunder of natural resources and communal polarisation fostered by the BJP-RSS combine.

As part of strengthening the Party's independent political and organisational activities, a three-day mass fund collection campaign will be conducted across the state during July-August. State-level and district-level cadre conventions, campaigns and protest actions will also be organised on issues relating to natural resource exploitation, displacement of tribal communities, food security, employment, land rights, democratic rights and law-and-order failures.

The State Committee further resolved to intensify political and mass campaigns against imperialist aggression, wars, military interventions and economic coercion pursued by global imperialist powers. It reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening solidarity with peoples resisting occupation, oppression and imperialist domination. As part of this commitment, the Party will organise a statewide Cuba Solidarity Campaign demanding an end to the decades-long US blockade against socialist Cuba and expressing solidarity with the Cuban people in their struggle to defend their sovereignty and socialist achievements.

The convention concluded with a call to workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, Adivasis, Dalits, women, youth and all democratic-minded people to unite and build sustained struggles against corporate plunder, communal polarisation and the anti-people policies of the BJP governments at the Centre and in Odisha. It also called upon Party units to utilise the forthcoming Panchayat and Urban Local Body elections as platforms for advancing people's issues, strengthening Left and democratic forces and projecting secular and pro-people alternatives.

The State Committee filled four vacancies through the co-option of Raghunath Hantal, Jahangir Ali, Bhimasen Swain and Ullas Swain.

The State Committee meeting and cadre convention were presided over by senior leader Ali Kishore Patnaik.