Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday sought to revive the arguably moribund Navodhana Samrakshana Samithi (Renaissance Protection Forum), comprising majorly Hindu social organisations, as a political counter to what he described as the religious right’s threat to progressive, secular and democratic traditions enshrined in the Constitution.
Inaugurating the Samathi’s meeting, Mr. Vijayan said the Constitution traces its roots to the Renaissance credo embraced by social reformers in the early 18th century.
Their teachings led to enlightenment and the demand for a humanist manifesto transcending caste, social divisions and gender. Their schooling also led to outlawing dark age practices such as untouchability and Sati.
Mr. Vijayan said the pedagogy of social reformers also catalysed women’s empowerment. It inspired many to step out from the penumbra of domestic confines into the limelight of public life.
He said the Renaissance movement also paved the way for progressive legislations, including temple entry proclamation, universal education and land reforms in Kerala.
The previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration had mustered people under the Samathi’s banner to counter the Sangh Parivar-led agitation against implementing the Supreme Court order that allowed women of all ages to worship at the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple in 2019.
The government nominated SNDP union general secretary Vellappally Natesan and KPMS leader Punnala Sreekumar as the Samathi’s chairman and convener, respectively.
The NSS, which argued for preserving Sabarimala’s “ancient” traditions, turned its back on the Samathi.
The Samathi shot into the political limelight when it attempted to muster social support against the “Save Sabarimala” campaign by organising a ‘620 km long women’s wall’ across Kerala during the apogee of the row in 2019.
However, cracks appeared in the Samathi soon. The KPMS faction led by Mr. Sreekumar expressed anger at the government position that the State was under no legal obligation to escort women to Sabarimala.
Soon, at least 50 Hindu social organisations quit the ‘LDF-sponsored’ Samathi citing an ‘overwhelmingly backward caste tilt.’ The initial enthusiasm, it appeared, had petered out.
The reconvening of the Samathi at the government’s behest on Thursday was also not without controversy.
At a press conference, Mr. Natesan accused former Minister K. T. Jaleel, MLA, of lobbying for the appointment of a Muslim community member as Vice Chancellor of the Sree Narayana Guru Open University. (The SNDP Union had protested the appointment of Mubarak Pasha to the post.)
He said the ‘Save Sabarimala’ campaign was futile. Many got ensnared in rioting and public property destruction cases with no tangible result. He said some interests aspiring for political relevance had orchestrated the strife.
Mr. Natesan said the SNDP union was with devotees on the Sabarimala issue. Communal polarisation in Kerala was deepening. “One cannot blame the BJP alone”, he said. The Samathi appointed M. K. Somaprasad, ex-MP, as its convener after Mr. Sreekumar exited claiming lack of time.
