71 year old CPI(M) politburo member Mariam Alexander Baby has taken over as the sixth general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) following his nomination at the 24th congress of the Party which concluded at Madurai on April 6. Baby is a veteran leader of the CPI(M) from Kerala with wide exposure both in the state and also in national politics. He was the education minister in the Kerala LDF government as also member in Rajya Sabha for two terms. Like his earlier two predecessors, Baby also joined the CPI(M) through students movement.
It seems that the CPI(M) leadership chose M A Baby over the prominent peasant leader and present politburo member Dr. Ashok Dhawale taking into account two factors. First, Baby’s familiarity with the national politics and political leaders due to his Rajya Sabha tenure and secondly, Baby can two terms even within the present 75 year limit for CC members. The new CPI(M) general secretary will be 74 in 2028 by the time the 25th party congress of the CPI(M) is held. So he has no problem for second term as per the present age ceiling.
Baby is suave, media savvy and has good friends in the cultural world. This writer recalls that while reporting on the CPI(M) party congress at Thiruvananthapuram in December 1988, young Baby who was only 34 took care of the media team from the national capital, organised a trip to Kovalam beach and even arranged screening of a film. His friendly manners and transparent approach were noted by us. He was unorthodox, a good listener and a communist with a liberal mind.
This Kerala CPI(M) leader has been catapulted by the CPI(M) leadership to the topmost position in the party at a time, when the CPI(M) is fighting for its existence due to erosion of its base in its one time strongholds and at the same time, the party has to join the battle against the RSS inspired BJP’s Hindutva run, fully supported by the Narendra Modi government at the centre and the BJP led governments in the state. The CPI(M) has to fight increasingly what the party resolution terms as neo-fascist tendencies. This is a massive task. Is Baby strong enough to steer the CPI(M) at this critical period and impart dynamism among the party cadres. Can Baby arouse the same confidence among the INDIA Bloc partners as the former CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury could?
Let us take the fight against Hindutva first. The political resolution adopted at the 24th party congress at Madurai says the Party must be geared up to conduct sustained activities in the political, ideological, cultural, economic and social spheres to counter the activities and influence of Hindutva and the various RSS outfits. According the resolution, it must be reiterated that the BJP-RSS can not be isolated and defeated only through electoral battles. Given the fact that on the past one decade, the Hindutva forces have created a substantial support base, based on their ideological influence, it is necessary to have a comprehensive programme to counter Hindutva.
What is the comprehensive programme? There have been references to six actions in general terms, but no concrete action programme. Baby has some idea of the importance of the cultural movement in shaping the ideas against Hindutva. As a part of the new strategy of the CPI(M) and the Left, he should talk with the other Left parties and work on mobilising the cultural workers and the groups from every region of the country under a national banner to fight against Hindutva on a priority basis. This will be far more impactful than the limited focus given in the political resolution on paying “special attention to organise anti-communal work through social and cultural activities among the working class and in the working class residential areas by the party and the trade unions”.
This approach of a broader forum of the cultural activists and groups will automatically get the support of the independent groups who are against Hindutva. This cultural unified banner will also facilitate the process of forming abroad political front much wider than the present INDIA bloc. In the Hindi speaking heartland, where the influence of RSS inspired Hindutva is strongest, the message of the secular forces can best be communicated through cultural programmes. The impact will be much more than the limited appeal of the secular political parties. This banner can seek the involvement of popular science movements to impart secular and scientific thinking.
The political resolution has mentioned of another very important issue about work among the believers to explain the difference between religious faith and misuse of religions. It is too late for the Left and the secular forces to really get any gains from their work. The party organisation of the CPI(M) is too weak in the states which need such interaction. Only a wide front with the Congress and the other anti-Hindutva parties can make some advance. Much easier will be through approaching these masses among the believers through cultural and other social programmes. As the new general secretary of the CPI(M), Baby can initiate the process of this national cultural awakening against Hindutva by involving all left parties, the secular parties including the Congress, the RJD, SP and others.
The existing cultural organizations like IPTA of the CPI, CPI(M)’s own groups and the CPI(ML)-Liberation supported various groups in Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand can be put under one broad banner to steer the course of the movement.RSS is observing its centenary in September this year. Its goal of Hindu Rashtra has come nearer. The final course of action will be announced at that time. The Left and the others have no organisational strength to take on the RSS, but the battle has to go on. The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been consistently campaigning against the RSS Hindutva without any beak. Rahul Gandhi may be taking more yatras to campaign against the RSS in the coming days, but the Congress participation in the proposed cultural awakening movement against Hindutva has to be ensured to make the movement widespread..
Apart from this broad political task, the new general secretary will have to deal with the state assembly elections in Kerala in 2026. The win is of high importance to the CPI(M) because only Kerala remains as the only state presently rul3d by the party as the leader of the Left Democratic Front. As regards West Bengal which is also going to polls along with Kerala, the issue is whether the state CPI(M) can break the jinx of present zero in the assembly to one or two seats. In Kerala, the LDF and the CPI(M) have been facing erosion in the voting percentage in the bypolls held after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP for the first time got one seat with 16.8 per cent of the votes whereas the CPI(M) on its own got 26 per cent and the Congress 35.3 per cent. The Congress is feeling further rejuvenated after the big win if Priyanka Gandhi in the by election to Lok Sabha from Wayanad constituency vacated by Rahul Gandhi.
Though the chief minister P Vijayan is the face of the CPI(M) and the LDF in Kerala, the Kerala assembly polls will be the first test of Baby in his own state after becoming the general secretary of the Party. The CPI(M)’s stature in national politics will further go down if the party loses Kerala to the Congress led UDF in the 2026 assembly elections. For the new CPI(M) general secretary challenges are too many. It is to be seen how he meets that in his present term. (IPA Service)
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