THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Reminding that Kerala should never lose its bond with the progressive movement, CPM Politburo member and All India Democratic Women’s Association general secretary Mariam Dhawale said on Wednesday that the state too is witnessing changing perspectives, with potential political impact. “Honour killings are now happening all over the country, including Kerala. This means that the arrogance of caste and religion is slowly seeping into the minds of the Kerala population,” Dhawale said.
Pointing out that the condition exists in Kerala despite its high ranking in education, health, and human development indices, the CPM leader said it is up to the people to decide if these thoughts will take them forward or backward. She was speaking at the ‘Contemporary Indian Politics’ lecture hosted by Kanal — the Kerala Secretariat Employees Association (KSEA) Women’s Committee — at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
On the repeated instances of human rights activists, advocates, and journalists getting arrested in the country, Dhawale said many of them remain prisoners because of an influenced judiciary. “Once the judiciary gets influenced by communal ideology, then nobody is safe in the country,” she said.
Taking a dig at the Union government for its moves to alter history in textbooks, Dhawale said the BJP wants to turn India into a theocratic nation and destroy its secular values. “Even though the BJP promises to be by the side of Hindus, what did they do to the Hindu farmers, workers, children, and the youth,” she asked.
She also mentioned that by inserting the formalities of census and seat delimitation, the Centre no longer holds any commitment to the concept of the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Criticising the Congress over the demolitions in Karnataka, Dhawale mentioned that even though the Congress talks about secularism, only the Left parties protested against the demolition. Lauding the LDF government for its progressive moves, she said the women of Kerala are fortunate to live in a state where there are people to protect citizens’ rights.