KOCHI: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political front of Kerala-based radical outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) has called a dawn to dusk state-wide hartal on Tuesday, July 17, in protest against the arrest of four top leaders in connection with the killing of Maharaja’s College student and Students Federation of India (SFI) activist Abhimanyu.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala unit of the Congress party has decided to drop its plan to observe ‘Ramayana month’ from July 17.
The decision was taken in the wake of strong protests from within the party. Several senior like former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) presidents, K Muraleedharan and V M Sudheeran and former minister Pandalam Sudhakaran had come down heavily on the party leadership for announcing the programme without discussion in the party forums.
Sudheeran and Muraleedharan said the decision to observe the Hindu ritual was against the democratic principles upheld by the party. They said that the programme would tantamount to politicising the God.
“The Congress has never sought votes in the name of God. The party does not need such votes. Ours is a secular party where members of different beliefs co-exist. It is the duty of communal organisations to organise religious programmes, not that of a political party,” Muraleedharan said.
The party had decided to conduct various programmes in connection with the Ramayana month after the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) came forward to observe the Ramayana month, which falls in the Malayalam month of Karkidakam.
The Congress had planned the programmes under the auspices of Vichar Vibhag, its cultural wing. The organisation had drawn up elaborate programmes throughout the month under the theme "Ramayana is ours, for the well-being of our land".
The Vichar Vibhag has justified the campaign by saying that what they intended to do was to promote the concept of ‘Rama Rajyam’ as suggested by Gandhiji as a model form of governance.
“If it is the intention, we need to organize programmes like seminars to promote it. Why is there an observance of Ramayana month,” asked Muraleedharan. He said it was unfair to use religion to win four or five votes. “It is what the BJP is practicing. We shouldn’t do the same. We need to devise a different strategy to take on them,” he said.
While speaking to a news channel, KPCC spokesperson Rajmohan Unnithan also found the idea not in conformity with the party’s principles. He said there was no debate within the party regarding the Ramayana month observance.
Sources said the Vichar Vibhag had got the support of top leadership of the KPCC to organize the programme. The state level programme was scheduled to be held at Thycaud Candhi Bhavan on Tuesday. As per the schedule, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala was to inaugurate the event and MP Shashi Tharoor deliver the key note address.
Image Credit: Times of India
KOCHI: The annual ‘Ramayana masam’ that Hindus in Kerala observe by reciting Ramayana every day in their homes during the Malayalam month of Karkidakam is assuming political colour with political parties vying to grab the ritual.
After a feeder organisation of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) jumped into the bandwagon, the opposition Congress Party is gearing up to organise several programmes to mark the Ramayana month.
Hindus have been traditionally observing ‘Karkkidkam’, which is last month in the Malayalam almanac, as the Ramayana month by reciting verses from the epic in temples and homes to ward off troubles in their lives. This year the Karkidakam begins from July 17.
Normally, elder people in the family recite Ramayanam on all days and explain the content in Malayalam language to younger generations. The Congress and the CPM have shown interest in the ritual after the Sangh Parivar entered the arena.
Leaders of the two parties said their attempt was to stop the BJP from hijacking the ritual for their political gains. The CPM and the Congress are not directly involving in the conduct of the programmes.
While the Sanskrit Sangh, a pro-Left cultural outfit, is conducting the programme for the CPM, the Congress will be organizing the programme under the aegis of Vichar Vibhag, the cultural wing of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).
The CPI (M) has chalked out elaborate programmes throughout the month. They include a series of seminars, conventions and debates across the state to mark the annual month of rituals. The Congress programmes include 'Ramayana Parayana' (recitation of the epic) and seminars.
The theme of the Vichar Vibhag programmes is "Ramayanam Nammudethanu, "Nadinte Nanmayanu" (Ramayana is ours, it is the goodness of society. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala would inaugurate the programmes on July 17.
The programmes would begin with 'Ramayana parayanam' in the morning, party sources said. Former union minister Sashi Tharoor, MP would deliver a lecture on 'Ramayana is ours', they said.
Former KPCC president K Muralidharan has come down heavily on the Congress leadership for their decision to organise the Ramayana month programmes. He told a television channel on Saturday that the programmes were being conducted by religious organisations since generation.
He said that his party’s decision would send a wrong message to its supporters since the Congress is founded on the ideology of secularism. He said that the Congress was fighting the BJP ideologically. The party cannot counter it by appeasing the majority community.
The CPM decision has also evoked strong criticism from within the party. According to sources, the national leadership of the party had asked the state unit to diassociate with the programme as it was not in accordance with the party’s atheistic ideology.
The Kerala unit of the programme has been organizing the Sri Krishna Jayanthi for the last three years. The party leaders have been justifying it saying that their moves were aimed at BJP’s attempt inject communalism in the minds of the people.
A senior leader said that their move was part of an attempt to present a “counter-narrative to the religious propaganda of the BJP. He said that the party’s support for the event was part of its “struggle against communalism”,but denied the party or the government it heads would officially observe the Ramayana month or organise events to mark it.
“This is a group of Sanskrit scholars who have come together on their own terms to take up issues against communal forces who use religious rituals and symbols for political purposes,” the leader said.
Image Credit: Rightlog
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