CPM plans to strengthen base in Kerala

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) is planning to revamp its local level units and make social interventions in Kerala to arrest the erosion of base of the party among different sections in society and gain ground among minorities.

The party will also conduct ideological campaigns to resist campaigns of fundamentalist groups.

Explaining the strategy, CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said the party state conference which ended on Friday has finalised an action plan to make lower level committees vibrant and make effective interaction with party sympathisers on different issues.

The functioning of lower level committees will be directly monitored by district level committees and regular interactions with party workers and sympathisers will be held at the lower and middle committee level to clear their doubts about party policies.

 Vijayan said the party would organise meetings of professionals “who are party sympathisers” but get distanced from party because of their busy schedule. The CPM would fight for the rights of migrant workers in Kerala who were being exploited.

On CPM’s influence among minorities, he agreed the party “does not have the same level of influence among” minorities compared to its popularity among majority community members. The party has finalised a strategy to gain popularity among minorities which will focus on taking up the problems of poor sections among minorities.

Vijayan said the conference took note that fundamentalist groups were gaining influence among Keralites and superstitions and other social injustices were making a return. Caste and religious groups are running aggressive campaigns and a deliberate effort was being made to decrease the influence of CPM among scheduled castes in Kerala, he said.

Some retired government officials were leading groups with extremist ideology among scheduled castes. Vijayan said the CPM would strengthen its activities among SC communities in Kerala.  The party would begin a massive campaign in the state to resist obsolete ideologies making a return.

He added that the campaign would also focus on the need for making the public aware of the dangers of increased use of liquor.