Communism in Kerala
Post-independence and Cold War Contemporary history The Indian state of Kerala has a strong presence of communist politics.
In addition to Kerala, the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura have had multiple democratically-elected Marxist governments, with legislation being debated by regular multiparty electoral processes.
The peasant and labour movements of the 1930s were, to a great extent, the cause as well as the consequence of the emergence of a powerful left wing in Indian politics.
A powerful factor that helped the growth of the leftist movement was the support it received from the radical section of the anti-colonial native Muslims in Malabar.
Both left and right-wing groups joined forces in order to ensure the success of the Congress candidates in the 1936 Malabar district elections.
Indeed, by the time the communists were expelled, they had gained control over the Congress Socialist Party units in what were to become the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.
The left wing of Kerala met in a secret enclave at Parapram, Pinarayi, near Thalassery, and in December 1939, the CPI.
The Communist Party in Kerala has functioned under the conditions of a liberal democracy, relying on success in multi-party elections to remain in power.
Party leaders, like Namboodiripad, did not like the idea of using military force to remain in power because it would reflect poorly on the CPI as a whole on a global stage.
This reliance on the people's opinions created a tolerant communist government, but it also made it more difficult to enact radical reforms.
In local government, the CPI promised less corruption, nepotism, political patronage, and inefficiency, which it planned to achieve through decentralization.
[1] As the CPI in Kerala was ultimately controlled by the federal government, its state plan depended on the funds it could raise independently.
The Four-Year Plan involved district-level conventions to excite potential entrepreneurs since the government wanted more private investors to spur industry.
The plan was hugely successful within the first 6 weeks and managed to set up eleven new industrial estates, but then lagged as the program continued.
