D Raja to stay on as CPI general secretary for third term, age limit rule relaxed

Chandigarh: D Raja will continue as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), with the party allowing him a third term in the post. The decision was taken at the national executive meeting held on Wednesday night. While the age limit rule has been made applicable to all secretariat members, an exemption was granted only to Raja.

Raja, who became the first Dalit leader to head a communist party in the country, has been in office since 2019 after the retirement of Sudhakar Reddy. He was re-elected at the Party Congress in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh in 2022.

As the party prepares to elect its new leadership on Thursday, consensus emerged to relax the age limit of 75 years in Raja’s case. Though Kerala had earlier taken a firm stance on strictly enforcing the rule, the three-and-a-half-hour-long national executive meeting saw the state soften its position. However, the party decided to implement the age cap for the secretariat and council, thereby inducting new faces into the leadership.

The discussion over the general secretary’s post sparked disputes at the executive meeting. Secretariat member Pallab Sengupta and others expressed willingness to step down. When members sought clarity from Raja on his own stand, he conveyed his intention to continue. Names such as AITUC general secretary Amarjeet Kaur and national secretary Annie Raja were mentioned but both remained silent during the discussion.

Though there were expectations of a deputy general secretary being appointed if Raja continued, no decision was taken. Reports suggest Amarjeet Kaur was not keen on the role, and no alternative names were proposed.

Kerala and southern states like Tamil Nadu had initially demanded strict adherence to the age limit, while Maharashtra supported the exemption for Raja despite favouring enforcement of the rule. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana wanted a generational change through fresh leadership. Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, which have not elected new state secretaries, supported Raja’s continuation. With elections due in Bihar, the state leadership argued that Raja, who maintains strong ties with the INDIA bloc, should remain at the helm. The name of Binoy Viswam was raised in the initial stage, but he reportedly preferred to continue in state politics.

Secretariat changes likely
Rajya Sabha floor leader and national executive member P Santosh Kumar was considered a strong contender for the national secretariat, but sources indicate that Prakash Babu may be given the opportunity instead. Kerala leaders believe Santosh has long-term prospects and that Babu should be inducted this time.

Former assistant secretary E Chandrasekharan, who stepped aside from leadership positions in Kerala respecting the age rule, will also exit the national council. V S Sunil Kumar is also among those being considered for key roles.