KOCHI: In a thought-provoking post on Facebook, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday said the recent poll results were an indicator of the dangerous fact that religious identity was playing a greater role in electoral politics.
“Are we now on the verge of creating a political environment for our children that will be violent and divisive,” he asked.“As a Malayali, I am concerned about the growing influence of communal forces in Kerala. We must remember that Kerala is 100 per cent literate, and people are politically informed. The recent elections indicate that religious identity is playing a greater role in our electoral politics now,” Sudheeran posted.“Like most people in the State, I am proud to declare that Kerala is a state where all the religions have been co-existing peacefully and harmoniously for more than 1,000 years. The beautiful amalgamation of different cultures can be seen clearly in the traditions of every community in the State. Over the centuries, all communities respected and accepted the beliefs and traditions of the other communities, so much so that we have adopted some of those traditions into our own,” he added.“I have a feeling that the harmony is being challenged like never before at this point of time,” he said.
After elaborating on the tradition of the nation that openly welcomed new ideas, Sudheeran warned against the forces that are actively dividing the people in the name of religion.“We should not allow political parties to follow the British example. Most of today’s communal parties are offshoots of organisations that were party to the Divide and rule policy of the British, even before Independence. They were effectively British agents,” he added.