Palayam Imam V. P. Suhaib Moulavi (file) | Photo Credit: S. MAHINSHA
Palayam Imam V. P. Suhaib Moulavi on June 17 urged the government to conduct the caste census which would serve to provide official data on who has actual possession of “power and resources.”
“Caste census is a long-standing demand of the backward communities. If the Centre is not willing, then at least the State (Kerala) should do it. Cast census will provide official data on who are in possession of power and resources,” Suhaib Moulavi said, giving his message at well-attended Bakrid prayers held at Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Palayam Imam’s demand has come on the heels of the SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan’s recent call for a socio-economic survey and his allegations regarding the minority appeasement politics of the LDF and UDF in Kerala.
“Some community leaders allege that the State government is indulging in Muslim appeasement. This is baseless,” Suhaib Moulavi said. Any progress made by the Muslim community is on account of the sweat of its brow and the activities undertaken by Muslim educational organisations, and not due to ineligible handouts from the government, he added.
“The State government should release the correct data on what each community has gained, what their social status is, and what their representation is in the corridors of power. Only that would put a stop to such propaganda,” he said.
‘Don’t saffronise history’
He also slammed the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for removing any mention of Babri Masjid from school textbooks. NCERT should desist from attempts to “saffronise history,” he said. “It is imperative that our children are taught correct history. Only then can they adopt the correct political stance,” he added.
This year’s Bakrid is a joyful occasion for secularism, as the Lok Sabha elections have proved that hate speeches have no future in India, Suhaib Moulavi said, adding that the headway made by secular forces brings relief.
“The election result gives confidence and hope, even if secular forces did not come to power. The results have showed that polarisation and the British policy of divide and rule will not work in India. The Indian mind is not communal,” he said.
Much more than the Ayodhya Ram temple, what became topics of discussion in the elections even in the Hindi heartland were the inadequacy of infrastructure, unemployment and the wrath of the farmers, he pointed out.
