CPM forced to rewrite report after draft draws flak from state committee

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM state leadership has been forced to rewrite its report to be presented at the Extended State Committee Meeting after widespread criticism within the state committee that the draft prepared by the state secretariat glossed over key observations of the central committee and the party’s own internal discussions.

The final report to be placed before the extended state committee meeting in Kozhikode will now incorporate the central committee’s criticism and the self-critical views expressed by leaders during the state level review of the party’s organisational and political failures.

The two-day state committee meet saw leaders cutting across factions question the draft’s credibility, with several pointing out that it failed to capture the depth and spirit of discussions held from the lower committees upwards and the concerns raised by the central leadership.

Facing mounting criticism, the state leadership assured the committee on Tuesday that the final document would reflect the central committee’s observations and the self-introspection emerging from the state-level review. According to CPM sources, almost all members who spoke stressed that the report before the extended state committee should honestly account for the reasons behind the electoral rout.

“The party should, at least now, regain the people’s trust. Decisions of the extended state committee and the report should therefore be credible and reflect ground realities,” leaders said.

The criticism has left the state leadership under pressure to produce a report that cannot be dismissed as another routine exercise. The final document is now expected to confront the political and organisational failures that contributed to the party’s worst electoral setback.

Meanwhile, CPM state secretary M V Govindan dismissed reports that the party had decided to obtain consent letters from delegates to examine their call details during the extended state committee meeting.