23rd party congress: Kerala CPM against joining hands with Congress at national-level

CPM had a major decline in the party's support base in Bengal and Tripura, which is highlighted in the organisational report. The collaboration with Congress would be discussed and will chalk out methods to strengthen the party and bring back the support that the party has lost in places like West Bengal and Tripura.

Kannur(Kerala): The Kerala faction of CPM has dismissed the suggestion of party general secretary Sitaram Yechuri that CPM should go with Congress at the national level to counter the BJP at the 23rd party congress. In the discussion forum, the members of Kerala CPM raised opposition against a coalition with Congress at the national-level. Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeev raised stiff opposition to this suggestion, demanding to know how Congress, which had tasted bitter defeat in all the states that had conducted, could become an alternative to BJP.

The discussion was held at the 23rd party congress is the regular decline in the cadre strength in places like Bengal and Tripura. Only Kerala has shown an increase in cadre strength. The issue of the pathetic state of affairs of the party in West Bengal is a key topic in the organisation report that is going to be presented by the party general secretary.

According to the report, after the Hyderabad party congress, the party has lost 48,096 members in West Bengal and 47,378 members from Tripura. At the national- level, there was a decline of 3.86 per cent in party membership. Contrary to the national trend, CPM in Kerala continued to grow. From 2017 to 2021, 63,072 new members joined the party in Kerala. More than five lakh new members joined the party's farmer organisations. The main agenda of the party congress would be to discuss and formalise the methods to strengthen the party and to bring back the support that the party has lost in places like West Bengal and Tripura.