The Eleventh Party Congress was held after the collapse of the Janata Party government and the return of Indira Gandhi to power in 1980. An economic crisis had gripped the country due to the conditionalities imposed as part of an IMF loan. US-backed separatist movements with active support from Pakistan were spreading in Punjab and Kashmir. The Party Congress noted that attacks on civil liberties, the toppling of the LDF Ministry in Kerala, the promulgation of NSA, etc. marked a new phase of authoritarian rule. It also expressed concern over the growth of communal forces. The Congress called for building a broad resistance against authoritarianism while simultaneously strengthening Left and Democratic unity. A 42-member Central Committee and a 9-member Polit Bureau was elected, with Comrade EMS Namboodiripad re-elected as the General Secretary.
