THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Aiming a holistic makeover, the CPM in Kerala is set to bring in drastic measures, both politically and socially, for a change in perspective during its state conference beginning on Tuesday. Once accused of being a reactionary force blocking the state’s onward move, the party is now going for a major shift not only in perspective, but also in its approach towards mass and class struggles.
When Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan laid the foundation for a new party headquarters in the capital on Friday, he was, in effect, heralding a new era in the CPM. The party that once fought in the realm of mass and class struggles is now eyeing means to attract private investments and replenish industrial growth.
The vision document, flaunted as the blueprint for creation of a new Kerala, will be the primary step towards the new goal. A generational shift in leadership is already under way, beginning with the last Assembly polls. Fixing of strict tenures — two for legislators and one for ministers — is just a prelude to this change. If 80 years was the age cap for party forums last time, it’s 75 years now.
Several veterans are set to make way for young upcoming turks to lead the par t y forward. Politically speaking, the Left, the CPM in particular, is ploughing through a slew of challenges and prospective realignment. A massive realignment of fringe parties is already on. The state conference comes at a time when speculations are rife about the CPM wanting to bring the Muslim League into the Left fold.
Incidentally, the last state meet held in Kochi in 1985 saw M V Raghavan moving an alternative document that proposed to induct IUML. Though the document was voted out and ensuing developments led to Raghavan’s ouster from the party, the CPM seems to have never quite given up this latent desire. Party veteran V S Achuthanandan who remained the prime deterrent to the move is incapacitated and not attending the meet. The party's central leadership itself has stressed the need to get minorities, especially the Muslim community, into the LDF.
“Though the Muslim League is not yet part of the Left, there’s a newfound affinity in the community for CPM. The work report to be presented in the state conference says that the party was able to attract minorities as well as the middle class into its embrace, but more needs to be done on this front,” said a central committee member. Altogether the change aimed at would be a reflection of not just a generational shift in leadership, but an all-pervasive one.
“It’s an evolving process of transformation and at certain stages, there will be a few rapid spurts of growth, converting quantitative gains to qualitative changes,” pointed out CPM Politburo member M A Baby. “On numerous counts, it is going to be a brand new avatar, ready to break ranks with its original traits, especially its tendency to be often individual-centric.
Survival techniques adapted to an ever-changing political and societal environment is what the CPM aims to brainstorm about during the conference,” observed political commentator N M Pearson. When the curtains come down on the conference on Friday, it will not just be a new leadership style on show, but an entirely reworked political persona on display before the masses.
Power of Red
In 2021, CPM had 5,14,781 members in Kerala. The membership is estimated to grow by 25% when the latest numbers are presented at the state conference
CPM’s last state conference was held in Thrissur in February 2018
The triennial conference process scheduled to begin in 2020 was postponed owing to the Covid situation
The conference process ahead of the 23rd Party Congress kickstarted with branch conferences in September, 2021
35,179 branch conferences, 2,273 local conferences, 209 area conferences and 14 district conferences were organised in the past six months
State conference will be held from March 1 to 4 in Kochi
Kannur will host 23rd party congress from April 6 to 10
Kochi is playing host to CPM state conference after 37 years. It was in 1985 that the state conference was organised there.
In 1968, Kochi hosted the 8th Party Congress. The EMS-led government was in power then and the event was organised with all pomp and splendour from December 23 to 29. P Sundarayya was elected the general secretary.