CPI(M) Kerala state committee extended meeting begins in Kozhikode.

Leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) raise slogans before an extended meeting of the party’s state committee in Kozhikode on Sunday. | Photo credit: K. Ragesh

Remedial steps to overcome organizational deficiencies are high on the agenda as an extended three-day committee meeting of the Keralam State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) proceeds in Kozhikode.

Selected participants from various districts as well as representatives of class and mass organizations of the party will be given an opportunity to express their views in an open debate on the draft report prepared by the State Committee on the issues plaguing the CPI(M) after its defeat in the Kerala Assembly elections.

According to party sources, the participants, including members of the district secretariat, engaged in district group discussions on Sunday afternoon (September 13, 2026), the first day of the meeting. From 19:00, an open debate started, which lasted for an hour. The debate will continue on Monday morning and will continue throughout the day.

Corrective Actions

Speaking to the media earlier, State Secretary MV Govindan said the Central Committee and later the State Committee had issued review reports that highlighted the party’s weaknesses. “Our effort will be to correct these deficiencies and propose measures for improvement,” he said. Admitting that organizational problems still persisted at the grassroots level, he said the State Committee would intervene directly to resolve them. “Instead of entrusting the district committees to find a solution on their own, the state leadership is planning to step in there. Every three months or at least once in six months, the state committee will also check whether remedial steps are being taken properly,” Govindan said.

The CPI(M) leader described the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s attempt to drag Opposition Leader and CPI(M) Politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan into corruption cases as another way to attack the party. Mr. Govindan also said that efforts would be made to counter the onslaught of right-wing and communal forces in the state.

“Fake Story”

Meanwhile, while opening the morning conference, party general secretary MA Baby said that the CPI(M) should have been more vigilant in responding to the “deliberate creation of false perception” that has played a key role in the vicissitudes the party has been suffering in recent times. “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.

Mr. Baby claimed that a situation similar to that of 1960, when the undivided Communist Party of India improved its vote percentage in the elections but lost power in the state, was also happening in 2026. “The creation of false ideas 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 criticizing others as well as themselves. “Many of our prominent leaders, including some who are now at the helm, have undergone the party’s corrective exercise. We have a time-tested method of corrective action,” he added.

However, Mr. Baby did not say anything about the ED action.

Published – 13 Sep 2026 21:19 IST