CPI(M) picks new leadership, several leaders step down on crossing age limit

Madurai (TN) | A new Central Committee and Politburo were elected at the 24th congress of the CPI(M) here on Sunday, with several leaders stepping down as they crossed the age limit of 75 years set by the Left party, while new faces were inducted.

An 84-member Central Committee was elected, including 30 new members. The Central Committee elected an 18-member Politburo that has eight new inclusions.

Former general secretary Prakash Karat, who had taken over as the interim coordinator of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the run-up to the congress after the death of incumbent general secretary Sitaram Yechury, was among the Politburo members who stepped down, as did Brinda Karat, Subhashini Ali, Manik Sarkar, Surjya Kanta Mishra and G Ramakrishnan.

Except Mishra, the others will join veterans like Hannan Mollah, S Ramachandran Pillai and Biman Basu as special invitees to the Central Committee.

The new members in the Politburo are Sikar MP Amra Ram, Vijoo Krishnan, R Arun Kumar, Mariam Dhawale, U Vasuki, K Balakrishnan, Jitendra Choudhary and Srideep Bhattacharya.

A contest for election to the Central Committee was also witnessed, with the name of CITU vice-president D L Karad being proposed by some members. Karad, however, failed to get enough votes.

Talking to reporters later, the leader from Maharashtra said some members felt that those working on the ground should be sent to the Central Committee.

"The party congress was electing the Central Committee, some comrades suggested my name, I consented," Karad said.

He, however, added that there are no differences between him and the party.

"There is no question of any differences. I am a disciplined worker of the party and I will fight under the CPI-M's banner. It is not a protest against anyone. This party congress has said class struggle at the grassroots level should be waged militantly," Karad said.

"Comrades fighting at the grassroots level should get a place in the Central Committee, so some comrades had suggested my name," he said.

Karad also said the contest reflected the democracy in the party and asserted that the aim of the CPI(M) remains to implement socialism in the country.

The Central Committee also gave a relaxation in the age limit in the cases of P K Sreemathy and Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami for them to continue in the panel, and in the case of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the Politburo.

New CPI(M) general secretary admits to differences in INDIA bloc, hopes grouping will overcome problems

Madurai | There are problems in the INDIA bloc, newly-elected CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby admitted on Sunday but also expressed hope that the grouping would be able to overcome those differences.

He also took a jibe at Narendra Modi, saying the prime minister -- by repeatedly attacking the opposition parties -- was contributing to activating a broad political arrangement.

A senior leader who has been a member of the CPI(M) Politburo -- its highest decision-making body -- since 2012, Baby called himself an "obedient soldier" of the party.

There were more deserving candidates, he told reporters shortly after being elected to the party's top post.

The former Kerala minister admitted that there had been a decline in the party's strength and said every CPI(M) member needed to come together to achieve the goal of strengthening it.

Asked about the INDIA bloc, the veteran Left leader called the Congress the most important constituent of the alliance. "But the Congress in Kerala, we don't know why it is competing with the BJP to criticise the CPI(M)."

"It is on record that the leader of opposition, during the course of the last Lok Sabha elections, asked in a couple of public meetings why (Kerala Chief Minister) Pinarayi Vijayan was not being arrested. The leader of opposition should conduct himself in a responsible manner as the leader of the overall political bloc in the opposition," Baby said without taking any names.

During campaigning for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had questioned why central agencies were not investigating Vijayan.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is the main to the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the state. Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan has repeatedly demanded Vijayan's resignation, including recently over corruption allegations against his daughter.

"INDIA bloc meetings have not been held after the Lok Sabha elections. There are certain problems," Baby said but also expressed hope that the grouping would be able to overcome those differences.

There is a systematic assault by the Sangh Parivar and the Narendra Modi government even against non-political forces, he alleged.

"For instance, filmmakers are being attacked. We all know what is happening in connection with 'Empuraan'," he said.

"So, Narendra Modi is making a contribution for a broad political arrangement to be activated. If he keeps on attacking the opposition parties, writers, and so on, they would be left with no other option but to come together. So, that will emerge," he said.

Directed by actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, who also features alongside Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, "L2: Empuraan" has found itself at the centre of a controversy over its critique of right-wing politics and covert mention of the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Baby -- elected to the top post after beating off competition from All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) president Ashok Dhawale -- also said he would work with all party leaders and members, with the CPI(M) -- the biggest of the Left parties in India -- looking to increase its independent strength, besides building Left unity.

"Challenges are not just before me personally. There are 10 lakh members and every party member is equally important," Baby said.

The branches are the party's life cells, he said, comparing the CPI(M) to a living organism.

"Only when the entire party moves, right from the branches, branches constitute the life cells of the party, which is a living organism for us, because the party is constituted of lakhs of living people. So every party branch has to be activated," he said.

"The Central Committee and the Politburo have a leadership task. I am one among the Politburo members, maybe the first among the Politburo and Central Committee members," he said.

Baby also said he was convinced there were other party leaders who were more deserving of the top post.

"I am fully convinced that there were more deserving comrades to be the general secretary. But other comrades and my colleagues, in their wisdom or lack of it, decided to make me the general secretary. As an obedient soldier of the party, I accepted," he said.

"With the help of all Politburo and Central Committee members and lakhs of branch members, we will collectively carry out the decisions of the party congress," he added.

Admitting to a decline in the party's strength, Baby said they emphasised on strengthening the CPI(M) as an independent political force.

"There has been some decline in our strength which we don't want to conceal. Only when we accept the reality, recognise the reality, and search for the reasons as to why we are faced with this decline, will we be able to undertake a course correction. We are in the process of not only doing all that is necessary to strengthen the party but also build Left unity," he said.

He added that leaders from the CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, Forward Bloc and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) were invited to strengthen Left unity.

A new Central Committee and Politburo were elected at the 24th All India Party Congress of the CPI(M), with several top leaders stepping down after crossing the age ceiling and new faces being inducted.

The 84-member Central Committee elected on Sunday includes 30 new faces. The Central Committee elected an 18-member Politburo, including eight new members.

Stalin greets Baby

Chennai | Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday greeted Marxist leader M A Baby who was elected the CPI (M) general secretary at the 24th party Congress.

In a post on 'X,' Stalin said: "Wishing Comrade M A Baby the very best as he takes charge as the General Secretary of the CPI(M). From challenging the Emergency as a student leader to shaping Kerala’s education policy with a progressive vision, his journey reflects purpose and resolve. The DMK looks forward to stronger ties in our collective, shared pursuit of secularism, social justice, and federalism."

Former Kerala minister M A Baby was elected as the CPI(M) general secretary at the 24th party congress at Madurai on Sunday. The post of the party general secretary fell vacant following the death of Sitaram Yechury last year, after which Prakash Karat took over as the interim coordinator. The 24th party congress of the CPI(M) began on April 2 and will conclude on April 6.