CPM general secretary M A Baby said the CPM should candidly acknowledge its failures. the party had failed to remain sufficiently vigilant in identifying, exposing and countering such attempts, he said While the deliberate creation of false perceptions about the LDF had contributed significantly to its electoral defeat.
Kozhikode : The CPM ’s extended state committee meeting, convened to chart a course correction following the party’s severe electoral reverses, began in Kozhikode on Sunday, with general secretary M A Baby calling for “frank and fearless” self-criticism and corrective action. Inaugurating the three-day meeting, Baby stressed the Communist principle of “criticism and self-criticism” and said the party should critically examine its policies, organisational functioning and the personal conduct of its members.
Such criticism must be expressed freely within party units,” he said. Baby said the CPM should candidly acknowledge its failures. the party had failed to remain sufficiently vigilant in identifying, exposing and countering such attempts, he said While the deliberate creation of false perceptions about the LDF had contributed significantly to its electoral defeat. He cited the campaign to create a perception that the CPM had reached an understanding with the RSS and BJP as an example of such attempts in 2026, and said regressive forces had used similar strategies for decades, dating back to the “Liberation Struggle” of the 1950s. Baby said identifying errors and taking corrective action was integral to the Communist method of functioning. Such misconceptions could be addressed through explanation and political engagement, he said.
“If a comrade’s conduct is not right, we should be able to tell the comrade openly: This is not right. This way of functioning is not correct. This is not expected of a Communist. He identified four broad categories of criticism faced by the Communist movement. The first comprised well-meaning people who believed the Communist Party was essential for the country, the poor and its future, and whose criticism stemmed from concern over shortcomings that could weaken the movement and alienate people. The second comprised people influenced by false perceptions and consequently anxious about the party.