M.A. Baby blames ‘creation of false perception’ for CPI(M)’s debacle in Keralam

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] national general secretary M.A. Baby has claimed that the “deliberate creation of a false perception” against Left democratic forces among the masses had played a key role in the reverses suffered by the party in Keralam in recent times.

Opening a three-day extended State committee meeting of the CPI(M) on Sunday (September 13, 2026) morning, he also admitted that the Left should have been more alert in responding to the construction of this false perception. “We should have exposed this false narrative and defeated it, but we did not do it. There were some other lapses as well on our part. We need to correct these mistakes, regain the trust of the people and march forward,” Mr. Baby said.

The CPI(M) leader pointed out that regressive elements had been resorting to defaming the Communist forces for long. Recalling the ‘Liberation Struggle’, a popular agitation in the 1958-59 period supported by the Congress and other parties against the first democratically elected Communist government led by E.M.S. Namboodiripad in Keralam, Mr. Baby said it was actually a movement against the progressive steps piloted by the State.

“The construction of such false perceptions have continued since then. Though the Communist government was undemocratically dismissed by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1959, the vote share of the undivided Communist Party of India went up by four percentage points in the 1960 election. That shows how our policies influenced the people. However, because of the consolidation of anti-Left and right-wing forces, we could not come to power then,” he said.

Mr. Baby claimed that a similar situation happened in Keralam in 2026 too. “The creation of false perceptions against the CPI(M) and its leaders began after the party-led front came back to power in the 2021 Assembly polls. One among them is that we have reached a deal with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party. That allegation has influenced a large number of people. We need to examine where we have made mistakes in countering such campaigns,” he said.

The CPI(M) leader said that the party cadre should engage in what he called criticism of others and of themselves. “Most of our prominent leaders, including some of those who are at the helm now, have gone through a rectification exercise by the party. We have a time-tested method for corrective steps,” he added.

The three-day conference is being held against the backdrop of the electoral reverses suffered by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front in Keralam. The Central Committee of the party had earlier come out with a review report on the election performance. Based on it, the State committee has also prepared a set of guidelines to be followed by the cadre for the revival of party’s fortunes.

The participants at the conference, who also include district secretariat members of the party from across the State and leaders of its class and mass organisations, will discuss that document presented by M.V. Govindan on Sunday (September 13). The 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 deliberations on September 15.

Earlier, senior party leader Paloli Mohammed Kutty raised the party flag. At least nine Polit Bureau members, including Mr. Baby, Mr. Govindan, and Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan are attending the meeting.