MADURAI: Weakened grassroots, alarming dip in membership, steady erosion in quality, and gross failure in taking up people’s allegations – the general discussion on the political organisational report at the CPM Party Congress on Saturday turned out to be both introspective and critical of those in the saddle. In view of drastic quality erosion, the Party Congress has decided to strictly adhere to the five-point criteria for membership renewal in 2026. Compared to the last Party Congress, enrolment has gone up by 35,000-odd members on paper, but actual numbers tell a different story. While the membership was 9,85,757 in 2021, it became 10,19,009 in 2024. In Kerala, membership went up to 5,64,895 in 2024, from the earlier 5,27,174 in 2021. However, going by the numbers in 2022, the membership number has come down. While it was 10,30,282 in 2022 it came down to 10,19,009 in 2024. Quality erosion, however, remains a major concern. Delegates who spoke at the discussion observed that the central leadership has been blatantly neglecting their connect with grassroots leaders, and were not making adequate efforts to reach out to them. The party has lost its touch with the masses, pointed out one of them. When central leaders come to weaker states they need not just attend the programmes, but should also try to meet the local-level leaders and provide them guidance.
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