KOCHI: Kerala has emerged as a model society despite caste inequalities persisting in other parts of the country, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at the state conference of the Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha in Kochi on Sunday.
Inaugurating the event, he said incidents of atrocities against scheduled caste communities were rising in several states but Kerala’s progress was rooted in its strong social reform legacy and its continuation through progressive Left movements.
“An average of 157 persons from scheduled caste communities face caste-based attacks every day, and in some states, such incidents have risen by nearly 250%. Even a Dalit who rose to become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India faced caste-based hostility. It shows the intolerance that persists even when a person from a scheduled caste attains a high office,” the chief minister said.
Pinarayi noted that Kerala has ensured safety and social security for all communities, including those belonging to the scheduled castes and tribes. The state’s progress in the health and education sectors has significantly benefited marginalised sections, he pointed out.
The chief minister also alleged that the Union government is weakening the reservation system by privatising public sector institutions, a move that would adversely affect communities entitled to reservation benefits. He said the issue must be viewed with seriousness, adding that Kerala continues to make large-scale appointments while strictly adhering to the reservation principles.
KPMS state president P A Ajayaghosh presided over. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal, Revenue Minister K Rajan, BJP ex-state president K Surendran, and MLA T J Vinod were among those in attendance.