Baby at the helm
The 24th CPM Party Congress held in Madurai was a platform for generational change adhering to tradition. M A Baby’s ascension to party general secretary and allowing rare age limit relaxation to Pinarayi Vijayan indicated where the party is headed. The whole mood of the party congress in Madurai speaks about a thing or two. The sign is clear. Despite a shoddy performance in the last LS polls and a declining presence at the national level, it is not over for the communist party in southern India. The party's new leadership must make the mission of securing electoral victory and regaining lost glory at the national level possible in the coming years, leading to the next phase of growth that will ensure continued rule in Kerala.
The biggest task for M.A. Baby would be in making CPM to cope with newer times without compromising the party’s fundamental ethos. Without radical changes and development dreams, no party will succeed in convincing people.
Regardless of the criticisms it may receive in Kerala, the development of infrastructure in line with the times, major technological changes, and the rise in the standard of living are all considered contributions of the Left government.
A leader with intellectual prowess and political acumen, it is expected of Baby to expedite radical changes without any qualms. Hard work, envious wisdom through voracious reading and taking criticism with a smile are the peculiar description that fits M A Baby. With all these attributes, M A Baby could have easily become a demigod figure in CPM, akin to a few other leaders. However, Baby took special care to not rise bigger than the party but remained happy with the status the party offered him.
Baby's tenure as the national president of SFI and DYFI, two-time Rajya Sabha member, two-time MLA, and a minister in the Kerala assembly was distinguished. At a time when BJP looks impregnable, Baby, with his gift of political ingenuity, can work wonders to bolster the coalition unity.
The new general secretary has made it clear that Pinarayi Vijayan himself will lead the campaign in Kerala in the next election. Although Prakash Karat, a Malayali, rose to the position of General Secretary after EMS, his unit was Delhi Center. Baby is the second Malayali to rise to this position from the Kerala unit. Viju Krishnan, a Malayali member of the Central Secretariat at the Delhi Center, has also joined the PB. With this, the number of Malayali PB members has increased to five.
Bright days are ahead for CPM if only the party with Baby at the helm could effectively implement its scheme in a way that is convincing to the public.