Kochi | Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan on Sunday sought to clarify that he has never said anything against any community leaders but only opposed communal statements.
Opposing communalism does not mean refusing to engage with community leaders, he told reporters here.
Satheesan came up with the clarification soon after G Sukumaran Nair and Vellappally Natesan, the general secretaries of the Nair Service Society (NSS) and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP)-the two prominent Hindu community outfits-vehemently criticised him.
Earlier in the day, Natesan, during a press conference in Alappuzha, alleged that Satheesan was "irrelevant" and he was like a "flower that bloomed only yesterday", in an apparent jibe at his political stature.
Citing some of the recent remarks of the Congress leader, he also accused Satheesan of being one among those who tried to brand him as communal.
In a similar way, Nair, while talking to reporters in Kottayam, alleged that Satheesan was being given a free hand within the Congress and questioned his authority to speak on all matters, warning that "such actions could harm the party in elections." Recalling events before the last Assembly election, Sukumaran Nair said Satheesan had visited him seeking support, which was extended through NSS leaders in the constituency.
"After the election, he says community organisations should not be approached," he said.
Satheesan, however, rejected criticisms by both Nair and Natesan and said he had never stated that he would not meet any community leader. The LoP said he only wanted that communal statements should not be made.
"Speaking against communalism and meeting community leaders are two different things," he said.
He said Kerala should continue to be known as a state that upholds religious harmony and added that he had not spoken against any individual or community.
Satheesan said he regularly meets leaders of various community organisations and cited his participation in religious and community events, including the Kumbanad Pentecost convention, the Cherukolpuzha Hindu conference and Kanthapuram's Kerala Yatra, besides programmes organised by Dalit organisations.
Political leaders often meet community leaders and engage in dialogue, he said, adding that if any community faces a problem, political leaders should be the first to reach out.
Satheesan said he had no objection to personal criticism and that he was not above criticism.
"Anyone, including community leaders, political workers, cultural activists and even members of my own party, can criticise me. If there is merit in the criticism, I will correct myself," he said.
He said the Congress and the UDF would oppose communalism irrespective of who makes such statements and reiterated that secularism remains their firm stand.
Expressing confidence in the people of Kerala, Satheesan said voters were watching developments closely and would once again reaffirm the state's secular character in the coming elections, as they had done in recent local body, bypoll and parliamentary polls.
Alappuzha (Kerala) | Minister Saji Cherian on Sunday accused the UDF and Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, of "indulging in communal and divisive politics."
Speaking to reporters, Cherian said it was the CPI(M) and the LDF that had taken a firm stand against communalism in the state.
He added that the CPI(M) had demonstrated an alternative governance model to the country through its approach here.
Cherian said, "No communal riots had occurred in the state over the past 10 years."
"When AK Antony was the chief minister, the Marad riots took place. Communal clashes were reported in Alappuzha and Vizhinjam during the UDF rule. While several communal riots occurred under the UDF, no such incidents have taken place in the last 10 years, including during the tenure of the V S Achuthanandan government," he said.
The riots occurred in 2002 and 2003 at Marad in Kozhikode, in which members of both the Hindu and Muslim communities were killed.
He said the CPI(M) had "never compromised with communal forces."
"What is happening now is that the UDF is indulging in low-level politics by aligning with both minority and majority communal forces for votes, which only strengthens communalism," he alleged.
Cherian said that while the RSS "promoted majority communalism, minority communalism was also being encouraged by the Muslim League."
"It is because of a government that does not support any form of communalism that people in Kerala can live peacefully, unlike in many other states," he said.
He added that all faiths and traditions would continue to be protected in Kerala, and people of all religions would have the freedom to follow their rituals.
Cherian criticised Satheesan’s recent statement during the Kerala Yathra led by Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar, in which he attacked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for allowing SNDP Yogam General Secretary Vellapally Natesan to travel in his official vehicle while arriving at the Ayyappa conclave venue at Pampa last year.
He called the statement unnecessary and said Satheesan was "fully aware of the dangers posed by both minority and majority communalism."
"But it was a tactic to attract minority votes by creating divisions along caste and communal lines. He could have raised this at a KPCC meeting or a press conference, not at an event attended mainly by people from the minority community," Cherian said.
He said Natesan was a leader of a major organisation in Kerala and might have his views, but the government neither encouraged nor supported them.
Cherian said divisive statements only strengthen factionalism. "Look at the election results in the Kasaragod municipality. Only people from the majority community win," he added.
He further said that similar trends were happening in other states and asked whether Kerala should follow the same path.
"You read the names of people who won in the Malappuram district panchayat elections. Should our state’s situation go that way?" he asked.
Cherian said Kerala "should not be turned into a state like Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh."
"Here, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians live like children of one mother. Everyone has the right to compete in a democratic system," he said.
He alleged that attempts to divide people on communal lines would lead to the formation of communal groups and accused the Leader of the Opposition of encouraging such mobilisation.