CPI(M) to crack down on accumulation of illegal wealth among its leaders

The CPI(M) has decided to intervene against tendencies including the accumulation of illegal wealth among its leaders, with the party's state and lower committees expected to take up the issue as part of a broader organisational correction following its electoral setbacks.

State secretary M.V. Govindan said the decision was contained in the review document prepared by the Central Committee and the State Committee and that the party intended to act against such tendencies through a leadership-driven process beginning with the State Committee and extending to the lower committees. The decision came as the state leadership faced strong criticism in the extended state committee that is continuing in Kozhikode.

"It has been decided that the party should intervene in matters including the acquisition of illegal assets," Govindan said, adding that the review document contained a clear proposal on the issue. The party, he said, wanted to put an end to such tendencies through effective intervention first at the State Committee level and subsequently at the lower levels of the organisation.

The move comes as the CPI(M) is undertaking an extensive review of its organisation and electoral performance. The extended state committee has been discussing the weaknesses identified in the election review and ways to subject them to a "rectification process" aimed at rebuilding the party. Govindan told the media that all 14 district committees had completed the first round of discussions, and had raised their concerns and criticism.

The party is simultaneously considering a more active role in Kerala's festivals and celebrations, seeking to prevent religious and cultural spaces from being dominated by communal forces. Delegates have proposed conscious intervention to transform festivals into common public spaces involving all sections of society.

Govindan said the proposal was aimed at ensuring that traditional festivals and celebrations do not become occasions for religious separation or hatred of the "other", but are instead celebrated collectively. He clarified that this did not mean the CPI(M) had decided to organise or celebrate festivals such as Sri Krishna Jayanthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi as party events.

However, the proposal envisages a significant intervention in the cultural sphere. Govindan said festivals traditionally created by Kerala society should be handled as common public spaces. He stressed that the proposal was still under discussion and that the extended committee would take a final decision after consolidating the suggestions emerging from the deliberations.

The party's proposed intervention extends to places of worship. Govindan said temples and other places of worship should not become venues for the communal polarisation of any particular section, but should remain spaces for believers. He said the party did not intend to turn them into CPI(M) spaces, but wanted them to remain accessible to believers irrespective of their political affiliations.

The move is part of a broader strategy to counter what the CPI(M) sees as growing right-wing and Hindutva influence in Kerala. Delegates argued that communal forces were intervening at the micro level and called for a stronger ideological and cultural resistance, including efforts to confront both majority and minority communalism.

Govindan said the party could not effectively fight communalism by excluding believers, arguing that genuine believers constituted an important section in resisting communal politics.

Strong criticism of state leadership

The deliberations have also exposed criticism of the party's leadership, including the State Secretariat and Govindan himself.

Govindan acknowledged that criticism had emerged against the state leadership when questioned about reports of criticism directed at the State Secretariat. He said criticism and self-criticism of the State Secretariat, State Committee, Central Committee and the party's overall structures were natural.

Asked specifically whether there had been criticism of him, Govindan said there had been. "There are criticisms of me, and likewise there are criticisms of the party leaders," he said. He added that everyone who needed to correct themselves should do so and that "all of us" needed to correct themselves.

"If there is no criticism of me, then what kind of conference is this?" Govindan said, arguing that criticism was an integral part of the Communist Party's functioning. He said the objective was to correct the party and take it forward as a stronger force.

Notably, the state secretary indirectly acknowledged that the party had failed to adequately address the problems that came to the fore after multiple electoral setbacks in by-elections , local body elections and the Lok Sabha polls, before it suffered a major defeat in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.

Govindan said the party had conducted reviews after the Lok Sabha, local-body and by-elections, but those exercises had not been complete when assessed against the CPI(M)'s defeat in the Assembly election, necessitating a stronger rectification process.

Micro-managing lower-level organisation?

The proposed organisational changes indicate a move towards closer supervision of the party's grassroots structures. Delegates have called for stronger branch-level functioning, with area committee members being given responsibility for branches and expected to intervene more effectively in their day-to-day activities.

The party also wants to strengthen the organisational, political and ideological capabilities of members so that local and area committees can provide leadership down to the grassroots. The emphasis comes against the backdrop of the party's own assessment that its relationship with people has weakened and that it needs to intervene more effectively in their everyday problems.

The proposals would give area-level leadership a more direct role in supervising branch functioning, while simultaneously seeking to improve ideological and political training among members.

The CPI(M) is also considering the use of technology to strengthen its internal organisation. Delegates have proposed dedicated applications through which party members can obtain immediate clarification on ideological and political questions.

The extended committee has also discussed creating a wider platform against the alleged politically-motived activities of central investigative agencies. Govindan said such a platform could extend beyond the INDIA bloc and bring together different organisations, human rights groups and movements. He stressed that the proposal remained under consideration.

New-media intervention

The CPI(M) is also planning to strengthen its intervention in the media, particularly the new-media space, with a focus on expanding its presence down to the grassroots and bringing technically skilled people into its media operations. The discussions called for a stronger response to what the party sees as right-wing efforts to undermine renaissance values, with the promotion of scientific temper identified as an important part of its social agenda.

The party also sought to distance itself from the activities of self-proclaimed "party" cyber warriors, with Govindan saying the CPI(M) does not endorse everything done by people claiming to act in the party's interests on social media. Asked about cyberattacks directed by these elements who have close connections with party leaders, he said the party would examine such activities. Recently, CPI(M)-linked cyber warriors attacked a Malayala Manorama journalist and his family online after news of his untimely death broke.