THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An outstanding Marxist theorist and art connoisseur, Mariam Alexander Baby will lead the CPM for the next three years. After an eventful stint as a minister in the 2006-11 LDF government in Kerala, Baby, who turned 71 on Saturday, had been leading a “quiet life” as part of the party’s national leadership.
Baby was born on April 5, 1954, in Prakkulam, Kollam, to P M Alexander, a teacher, and Lilly Alexander.
He stepped into politics during his high school days, through the Kerala Students’ Federation (KSF), the forerunner to the Students’ Federation of India (SFI). At 18, he joined the CPM as ordinary member.
In 1975, he became state president of the KSF. Under his leadership, the organisation conducted several protests for students’ rights.
Two years later he was inducted into the CPM Kollam district committee. In 1984, he became a member of CPM state committee. In 1987 he took on the mantle of the national president of DYFI, CPM’s youth organisation. Baby became a central committee (CC) member in 1989. Since 2012 he has been a member of the party’s politburo.
As a minister, Baby handled the portfolios of education and cultural affairs. During his tenure, a chapter titled ‘Mathamillatha Jeevan’ (life without religion) in the social science textbook for seventh graders sparked a controversy.
A self-proclaimed atheist, Baby had to face the ire of opposition parties and religious organisations. Eventually, the chapter was excluded. Baby’s second passion is art and culture. He is the founder member of the ‘Swaralaya’ cultural organisation.
He was a Rajya Sabha MP during 1986-98. Baby was elected to the state assembly from Kundara in 2006. In 2014, he lost to RSP’s N K Premachandran in the election to the Kollam Lok Sabha seat. Baby writes on contemporary politics in dailies and magazines. His wife is Betty Louis and the couple has a son.
Many believe that Baby shifted his focus to the national leadership following his cold ties with Pinarayi Vijayan before he became chief minister. And, this sudden redemption is being viewed as indicative of a thaw in their relations.