Emboldened by the recent Supreme Court (SC) stay on the conviction of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case, the Kerala unit of the party has vowed to defeat any attempt to divide people on communal lines.
The declaration was made at ‘Janasadassu’, a public event organised by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee against the proposed Uniform Civil Code and the violence in Manipur, here on Saturday.
Opening the event, Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan said that the Congress would not allow anyone to endanger national unity. “We will strive to uproot communalism from the country. We don’t need the votes of communalists either,” he said. The Congress leader pointed out that the fundamental difference between the Western idea of secularism and Indian secularism was in its approach to religion. While the Western secularists completely reject religions, Indian secularism was rooted in their inclusion. “Here, we have the right to believe or not to believe in a religion. We can profess or propagate our religion as well,” Mr. Satheesan said.
However, the State and its arms, including the judiciary, should not intervene in the religious beliefs and personal laws. “That was why we opposed the Supreme Court verdict on the Sabarimala temple entry. The court should not have interfered in the issue,” he said. Mr. Satheesan also took an indirect dig at the recent controversy over some statements made by Assembly Speaker A.N. Shamseer. “We should not give room for communalists here. There was no need to club miracles in religion with science. Miracles are linked to people’s personal beliefs,” he added.
Panakkad Syed Sadik Ali Shihab Thangal, State president of the Indian Union Muslim League, said that the Congress should take the lead in preserving humanity in society. Highlighting the violence reported in Manipur and Haryana, he said that people were living in fear there. Syed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal of the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama said the Congress party should work hard to get the support of all sections of people. The party should prove that its leaders were not only capable of giving speeches, but also work on the ground. “The UCC is not something affecting Muslims and Christians alone. It will adversely impact many other sections of society,” he added.
K. Muraleedharan, MP, presided over the event. The other speakers included P.K. Kunhalikutty, MLA, representatives of religious and community groups, and socio-cultural activists.
