CPI(M) picks new leadership, several leaders step down on crossing age limit

Madurai (TN): A new Central Committee and Politburo were elected at the 24th congress of the CPI(M) here on Sunday, with several leaders stepping down as they crossed the age limit of 75 years set by the Left party, while new faces were inducted.

An 84-member Central Committee was elected, including 30 new members. The Central Committee elected an 18-member Politburo that has eight new inclusions.

Former general secretary Prakash Karat, who had taken over as the interim coordinator of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the run-up to the congress after the death of incumbent general secretary Sitaram Yechury, was among the Politburo members who stepped down, as did Brinda Karat, Subhashini Ali, Manik Sarkar, Surjya Kanta Mishra and G Ramakrishnan.

Except Mishra, the others will join veterans like Hannan Mollah, S Ramachandran Pillai and Biman Basu as special invitees to the Central Committee.

The new members in the Politburo are Sikar MP Amra Ram, Vijoo Krishnan, R Arun Kumar, Mariam Dhawale, U Vasuki, K Balakrishnan, Jitendra Choudhary and Srideep Bhattacharya.

A contest for election to the Central Committee was also witnessed, with the name of CITU vice-president D L Karad being proposed by some members. Karad, however, failed to get enough votes.

Talking to reporters later, the leader from Maharashtra said some members felt that those working on the ground should be sent to the Central Committee.

"The party congress was electing the Central Committee, some comrades suggested my name, I consented," Karad said.

He, however, added that there are no differences between him and the party.

"There is no question of any differences. I am a disciplined worker of the party and I will fight under the CPI-M's banner. It is not a protest against anyone. This party congress has said class struggle at the grassroots level should be waged militantly," Karad said.

"Comrades fighting at the grassroots level should get a place in the Central Committee, so some comrades had suggested my name," he said.

Karad also said the contest reflected the democracy in the party and asserted that the aim of the CPI(M) remains to implement socialism in the country.

The Central Committee also gave a relaxation in the age limit in the cases of P K Sreemathy and Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami for them to continue in the panel, and in the case of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the Politburo.