MA Baby blames Kerala CPI(M) debacle on ‘creating false perception’

CPI(M) National General Secretary MA Baby will inaugurate a three-day extended meeting of the Kerala State Committee in Kozhikode on 13 September 2026. Photo credit: K. Ragesh

Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) National General Secretary MA Baby has said that “deliberate creation of false perception” against the Left Democratic forces among the masses has played a key role in the recent reverses the party has been suffering in Kerala.

Inaugurating the three-day extended meeting of the CPI(M) state committee on Sunday (September 13, 2026) morning, he also admitted that the Left should have been more vigilant in responding to the construction of this false perception. “We should have exposed this fake story and defeated it, but we didn’t. There were also other mistakes on our part. We need to correct these mistakes, regain people’s trust and move forward,” Mr Baby said.

The CPI(M) leader pointed out that regressive elements have long resorted to defaming communist forces. Recalling the ‘Liberation Struggle’, the 1958-59 popular agitation supported by the Congress and other parties against the first democratically elected communist government led by EMS Namboodiripad in Kerala, Mr. Baby said it was actually a movement against progressive steps piloted by the state.

“The creation of such false ideas has continued ever since. Even though the communist government was undemocratically dismissed by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1959, the vote share of the Undivided Communist Party of India increased by 4% in the 1960 elections. This shows how our politics influenced the people. However, due to the consolidation of anti-left forces, we and the right could not come then.

Mr. Baby claimed that a similar situation occurred in 2026 in Kerala as well. “Creating false images against the CPI(M) and its leaders started after the party front returned to power in the 2021 assembly elections. One of them is that we reached an agreement with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party. This allegation has affected a large number of people,” he said.

The CPI(M) leader said the party cadre should engage in what he called criticism of others and self. “Most of our prominent leaders, including some of those who are now at the helm, have undergone a corrective exercise from the party. We have a time-tested method of corrective action,” he added.

The three-day conference is being held against the backdrop of electoral setbacks suffered by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala. The party’s Central Committee had previously come up with a review report on the conduct of the elections. Based on it, the State Committee also prepared a set of instructions for the cadre to follow in order to revive the party’s fortunes.

The conference participants, which also include members of the party’s district secretariat from across the state and leaders of its class and mass organisations, will discuss the document presented by MV Govindan on Sunday (September 13). Discussions will continue on Monday (September 14, 2026).

According to party sources, the State Committee will prepare another report based on the outcome of the meeting on September 15.

Earlier, the party’s top leader Paloli Mohammed Kutty hoisted the party flag. At least nine members of the Polit Bureau, including Mr Baba, Mr Govindan and Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, are attending the meeting.

Published – 13 Sep 2026 13:46 IST