8th Party Congress, 1968
The Eighth Party Congress of the #CPIM took place during a tumultuous period for the country and the communist movement. The Left movement had faced repression from the government and also faced challenges due to ultra-left sectarianism after the Naxalbari incident of 1967. Overcoming these challenges, Left-led coalitions had won elections in West Bengal and Kerala.
Globally, the Eighth Party Congress took note of the schism in the Socialist Camp, with the Soviet Party falling under the influence of revisionism while the Chinese party developed an erroneous understanding of the path of the Indian Revolution and the current situation.
The Eighth Party Congress called for increased independent mass struggles and ideological struggles against Left and Right deviations. A 28-member central committee and a nine-member Polit Bureau was elected, and Comrade P Sundarayya was re-elected as the General Secretary.
