Tue Apr 08 15:35:52 UTC 2025: ## CPI(M) Leader Blames Identity Politics for BJP’s Rise

**Thiruvananthapuram, April 8, 2025** – Newly elected CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby has attributed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) growing influence to the rise of identity politics in India. Speaking at a press meet in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, Baby argued that a shift away from traditional, broad-based politics has allowed the BJP to gain traction among groups previously aligned with the CPI(M).

Baby emphasized the need for the CPI(M) to actively counter the increasing preference for caste and religious identity politics within certain influential sections of society. He noted a concerning trend of groups previously critical of the Sangh Parivar now readily associating with Hindu majoritarian forces due to the BJP’s rule.

He highlighted the detrimental effects of prioritizing identity over livelihood issues such as unemployment, the cost of living crisis, and income inequality. Baby stressed the party’s need to reinforce the message that divisive politics fails to address the crucial needs of the masses.

Despite acknowledging challenges, Baby pointed to recent electoral successes as signs of hope. The CPI(M) secured three Assembly seats in Rajasthan and won a seat in Jammu and Kashmir, overcoming significant opposition from various political parties. He also cited the continued resistance to far-right forces from organizations like the SNDP Yogam and the Nair Service Society, even acknowledging the BJP’s alliance with the BDJS, a party headed by an SNDP Yogam office-bearer.

Baby expressed concern over the Congress’s failure to unite secular forces under the INDIA bloc, a missed opportunity to prevent the BJP from obtaining a two-thirds majority in Parliament, a threshold which could have enabled constitutional amendments aligned with the Sangh Parivar’s agenda. He lamented that the rise of divisive politics has marginalized attacks on minorities, constitutional transgressions, federalism infringements, and the undermining of secularism from mainstream political discourse.

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