CPI’s 25th Congress ends on tense note over age cap policy and leadership appointments

The 25th Party Congress of the Communist Party of India (CPI) concluded recently under an unusually tense atmosphere. Senior Communist leader D Raja was re-elected as general secretary. Meanwhile, CPI National Council now includes 16 members from Kerala, among them Prakash Babu, Santhosh Kumar, and candidate member T.T Jismon.

Additionally, Pallab Sengupta was appointed as an invitee to three committees, including the National Secretariat.

Dispute over age limit policy

Disputes over the implementation of the party’s 75-year age limit dominated the proceedings, particularly regarding an exemption granted to General Secretary D. Raja.

While the age cap had been formally accepted, the decision to exempt Raja alone from the rule triggered intense debates that stretched the National Executive and Council meetings late into the night. The National Executive, in its Wednesday night session, finally reached a consensus to allow the exemption.

The decision met with widespread dissent, with several state units demanding strict enforcement of the age rule. The Kerala unit, which had already applied the limit rigorously within its own structure, voiced strong objections. Representatives from Kerala, including Rajaji Mathew Thomas and R. Lathadevi, along with delegates from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Delhi, Odisha, and Assam, expressed strong opposition. Younger representatives also joined the protest.

Amid the growing unrest, Central Secretariat member Binoy Viswam intervened, stressing that the exemption was necessary for the party’s best interests, particularly with upcoming elections in states such as Bihar. He clarified that the move did not contradict the party constitution. Presidium Chair Amarjeet Kaur also worked to calm the situation. The Punjab unit appealed for consensus-based decisions to avoid a divisive vote.

Despite the resistance, the exemption was upheld. Party leaders argued that the process reflected CPI’s democratic functioning, even though the Tamil Nadu unit was compelled to hold a vote due to disputes over National Council representation.

Key appointments and leadership changes

Amidst the debates, the Party Congress finalized several key leadership decisions:

• Senior Kerala leaders K. Prakash Babu and P. Santhosh Kumar were newly inducted under the Party Center quota. Both had served on the outgoing Executive Committee.
• Binoy Viswam stepped down from the Central Secretariat.
• Dr. K. Narayana was elected as Chairman and will also serve on the Executive Committee. Sathyan Mokeri (Kerala) also joins as a member.
• Mitra Vishnu was confirmed as Party Treasurer
• K. Ramakrishna, from the Control Commission, will serve as a special invitee to the Secretariat.
• T.J. Angelo (Alappuzha) and Govindan Pallikappil (Kasaragod) were appointed to succeed the late Kanam Rajendran and E. Chandrasekharan, who resigned after crossing the age limit.
• Former minister V.S. Sunil Kumar was not considered for any post.