Worried over degeneration of its members, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) is organizing a five-day refresher course for its senior leaders from the state units. State leaders will meet in New Delhi on Sunday in the national capital to hear party general secretary Prakash Karat and senior party leaders Sitaram Yechury and S. Ramachandra Pillai. The classes are expected to help the comrades to get a better understanding of political, organizational and ideological lapses the party has made, which they think, have led to the Left’s repeated electoral defeats in West Bengal and Kerala, its two strongholds.

Apart from 10 senior leaders each from Kerala and West Bengal, the course will be attended by more than 100 representatives from other states too.  The national leadership is planning another such refresher course for the members of the central committee, apex decision-making body of the party.

The last refresher course the party leaders had was in 2006.

The national leaders hope that the session would “refresh” the comrades before it implement the rectification document, which was finalized in the last central committee meeting.  The rectification document is meant to enhance level of consciousnesses among the party leaders and cadres and to create a ‘living culture’ based on Communist values.