News Analysis India

Tag: CPM central committee

  • CPM decides to cap age ceiling for Central Committee members age at 75 

    By Express News Service

    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an obvious move to make the party more appealing to younger generations and to infuse energy into it, the CPM has decided to set 75 as the age-cap for its Central Committee members. Currently, it is 80.

    The decision comes in the run-up to the 23rd Party Congress slated to be held next April in Kannur. An informal decision has however been made to exempt 76-year-old Pinarayi Vijayan, taking into account his official position.

    “For those in the Central Committee and the Politburo, 75 years would be the age limit. State committees normally have it lower. We have left it to the state committees to decide,” said CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Monday.

    He said a decision on whether to give exemption to Pinarayi will be taken later. Pinarayi and 83-year-old S Ramachandran Pillai are the two Kerala leaders who have crossed the new age limit. Suggestions have also come in to set an age cap of 70 for state committee members.

    Sources said the Central Committee’s decision was unanimous.

    “The CC took the decision now so that the state conferences can take a leaf out of it and ensure more young blood into the party. In line with the CC decision, the state committees can ensure more representation for the youth in the party committees. As far as Pinarayi is concerned, it goes without saying that he would be given exemption,” said a Central Committee member from the state.

    Briefing the media on the decisions of the three-day meet in Delhi, Yechury admitted that there was criticism in the CC against keeping former health minister K K Shailaja away from the second Pinarayi cabinet. Yechury however justified the decision to keep Shailaja away. The people have accepted the Left policy to bring in changes, and that’s why the Left retained power, he pointed out.

    “The issue came up not only about Shailaja but also about dropping those who contested twice. But it was a policy decision. No exceptions could be made. Making any exception means that the policy cannot be implemented. Senior leaders like the former finance minister (Thomas Isaac) and former PWD minister (G Sudhakaran) did not contest because of the policy. But the result shows people accepted the policy, and that’s part of the dynamic changes happening in society. People expect changes to happen. Newer generations are coming forward to take the mantle. The policy was well received by the people,” said Yechury. 

    At the Central Committee meet, leaders from outside the state criticised dropping Shailaja from the cabinet. However, Kerala leaders defended the same by pointing out that stringent norms were in place this time around.

    The Central Committee appreciated the Kerala party unit for getting continuity in power. The Left was able to get continuity for the excellent manner in which the government handled the floods, pandemic and other calamities, observed the committee. “The people’s verdict is a reflection of the Left government keeping the state’s secular democratic values intact,” Yechury said.

    The party leadership has given necessary directives to further streamline the government’s functioning.

    ‘Party will introspect on Bengal performance’

    The CPM leadership also deliberated on the major setback the party faced in West Bengal. The party will introspect on its performance in Bengal, said the leadership. Terming the results disastrous, Yechury said the Bengal party unit will critically analyze the results.

    Branch meets likely in September

    Ahead of the 23rd Party Congress next year, the party is likely to begin branch conferences this September. A final decision on the schedule will be taken at the party-state committee scheduled to meet early next week. 

  • CPM to put age ceiling for members of its central committee at 75 years

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The CPI(M) has decided to bring down the age ceiling for the members of its central committee to 75 from 80 years, a move aimed at infusing fresh blood into the party.

    This was decided in a meeting of the central committee, the highest decision-making body of the party which elects the Politburo, held from August 6 to 8.

    The decision will have to be endorsed at the party’s 23rd Congress, scheduled to be held in Kerala’s Kannur in April 2022, after which the norm will be applicable.

    It was in April 2018 when the last Central Committee was elected at the party’s Congress in Hyderabad when the age-ceiling of 80-years was in place.

    An exception was made for S Ramachandran Pillai in 2018 in order to retain him in the Politburo.

    In the current 17-member Politburo, Ramachandran is the oldest and while 64-year-old Mohammed Salim and Nilotpal Basu are the youngest.

    The age-ceiling formula will be put in place in a two-tier manner.

    First, the retirement age will be fixed at 75 years for members in all its bodies, including the Politburo.

    Second, no new member above a certain age would be inducted into any of these forums.

    “Our decision is that those who have crossed 75 years will be relieved from the central committee. The state committee normally has a lower age ceiling but we have left it for them to decide it,” party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said at a press conference at the conclusion of the Central Committee meeting.

    The last young inductees to the central committee were the current General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and former general secretary Prakash Karat who were both in their thirties.

    They were inducted in 1985.

    No such effort at that scale has been made since then.

    Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan incidentally is already 76-year-old and will need to step down from the Politburo.

    “Last time also we made exceptions for certain people. The party will decide for those holding key positions. But in principle, the decision is to fix 75 years as the retirement age,” Yechury said.

  • CPI(M) central committee slams Bengal members for equating Modi with Didi during Assembly polls

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA: Bengal CPI(M) leaders faced strong criticism by the party functionaries from other states over the issue of the tactical line that was adopted in the recent Assembly elections in the state. 

    During the first day of the organisation’s three-day central committee meeting which started from Friday virtually, the panel members from West Bengal were held responsible for the party’s never-seen-before disastrous performance failing to win a single seat out of 294.

    The members from states such as Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Telangana of the party’s second-highest body said the tactical line of equating Modi with Didi (Mamata) was a serious mistake that damaged the party’s electoral prospects.

    “The Bengal leaders did not portray the BJP as its prime foe in the Assembly elections. Instead, they equated the BJP with the TMC. The Bengal leadership erred in alleging that the TMC and the BJP were working with the understanding between themselves which resulted in confusion among the party supporters and the vote-bank that had been with the CPI(M),” a central committee member alleged during Friday’s virtual meeting.

    ALSO READ | Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says mulling reopening schools, colleges after Durga Puja vacation

    The first day’s meeting was focused on the analysis of Assembly election results in five states/UT — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu.

    The leaders from Bengal, however, said they had followed the strategy adopted in the last party congress on the line of uniting democratic and secular forces. “Our strategy of equating the TMC with the BJP might be a wrong decision. But it cannot be identified as the only reason for the party’s debacle in the state. Our slogan of Beejamool to portray the TMC and BJP as two sides of the same coin might not go down well. We attacked both the parties with the same intensity without identifying which one was the prime enemy,” said a CPI(M) leader in Kolkata.        

    The leader also pointed out that many leaders in other states did not accept CPI(M)’s coalition with the  Congress in the Assembly elections. “We shared seats with the Congress in 2016 Assembly elections ignoring the central leadership’s objection. In the Hyderabad party congress in 2018, the party approved a coalition with other secular parties, including Congress. We followed the same tactical line,” the leader said.   

    CPI(M)’s state secretary Suryakanta Mishra recently acknowledged the mistake of equating the BJP with the TMC and made it clear that opposing the saffron camp would be the primary task for the party from now.