“Parliamentary aberrations”, failure in implementing the policy of mass line, and lack of collective functioning have been identified as the three primary shortcomings to be addressed as part of the CPI(M)’s “rectification campaign”, party general secretary M.A. Baby said on Sunday (September 6, 2026).

He was addressing a press conference at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the party’s Polit Bureau in New Delhi. The “rectification campaign” comes in the wake of the party’s defeat in the Kerala Assembly polls.

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“The 24th Party Congress in Madurai had called for a stage-wise rectification campaign within the party. As part of implementing this, we had a discussion. Parliamentary aberrations, lack of adherence to the mass line by party comrades, and issues related to collective functioning have been identified by the party. We have to discuss how far each one of us is free from these,” he said.

A Polit Bureau statement issued later said, “The impact of alien class influences like parliamentarism was discussed along with the experiences in implementing the policy of mass line and measures to strengthen collective functioning at all levels of the Party.”

Mr. Baby did not explain the phrase “parliamentary aberrations”, only stating that it has “various dimensions”. He elaborated at length on the need for a better connection with people. “We should be with people, learn from them and listen to them,” he said. He added that when the senior leadership visits States, it should take time out beyond formal committee meetings to speak to comrades and listen to them. Each State committee would undertake this rectification exercise, he said.

Former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, at recent public meetings in Payyannur and Taliparamba in Kannur, had blamed betrayal, internal sabotage and party workers’ susceptibility to propaganda for the party’s poor performance in these strongholds and elsewhere in the State.

Mr. Baby supported Mr. Vijayan’s stance, saying that if the party decides on a candidate, all members must support that person. Any disagreements should have been raised within party forums, he said.

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The Central Committee will meet in New Delhi from October 9 to 11 to discuss and strengthen the report after its deliberations.

On contesting the elections in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Baby said the CPI(M) would remain committed to its goal of defeating the BJP and its allies. Electoral strategies had not yet been finalised and would have to be worked out at the State level. “We will explore all possibilities, keeping this goal in mind, to defeat the BJP and its allies,” he said.

Asked about Rahul Gandhi as a possible Prime Minister, Mr. Baby said the question could be answered only after the next general election and that any speculation would be futile. However, he added: “Naturally, the Leader of the Opposition has the right [to aspire to the position]. But we do not want to engage in an exercise of hypothesising. Our goal is that the fascist regime of the BJP/RSS should be removed from power. Last time we came close to it; if we had been more careful, this could have happened in the last election. We should not miss our chance now,” he said.