Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan on Thursday announced a broad alliance of Hindu, Muslim and Christian social organisations to protect the renaissance values that led to Kerala’s transformation from a medieval polity to a modern one.
The announcement came soon after Mr. Natesan, who is also president of the Left Democratic Front-supported Renaissance Protection Samiti (RPS), met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Mr. Natesan was closeted with Mr. Vijayan along with an assemblage of Dalit and backward class leaders here. The closed-door meeting deliberated on a strategy to rekindle secular and progressive values to counter ‘a right-wing drift in society in the name of faith and religion’ after the government decided to implement the Supreme Court order allowing women of all age groups to worship at the Sabarimala temple.
‘Not election-oriented’
Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha (KPMS) general secretary and convener of the RPS Punnala Sreekumar said the current generation appeared to have forgotten how their ancestors struggled to throw off the yoke of caste-based subjugation.
Both leaders said the RPS was not an election-oriented move but an exercise to unite people irrespective of their caste or religion. “Elections will come and go. The stress is to ensure that progressive values endure,” Mr. Natesan said. They agreed to form renaissance protection committees in taluks and districts before February 15.
Mr. Vijayan said most people in Kerala were poor and hailed from backward sections, and the government was on their side.