Pinarayi Vijayan slams Vellapally Natesan on ‘Savarna’ comment

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM state secretary Mr Pinarayi Vijayan has dared SNDP general secretary Mr Vellapally Natesan to visit temples in neighbouring Karnataka where untouchability is still practised.

In his Facebook post, the CPM leader said Mr Natesan who stated that BJP was not a party of “Savarnas” should visit the Udipi Temple in Karnataka.

There are two dining halls in the temple one for brahmins and other for lower castes, he said and added that despite police repression and false cases the CPM continued to fight against this practice.

Pinarayi said the temple was under Vishwesha Teertha of Pejavara Mutt who is an advisor to VHP and close confidante of BJP. He enjoys the pride of place in VHP along with Ashok Singhal and Praveen Togadia.

“Velappaly should visit the temple along with his new found friends Togadia and Singhal. If he sits along with them to have food in the dining hall, CPM workers who are agitating against untouchability, will be there to rescue him,” the CPM politburo member said.

Pinarayi said the Kukke Subramanya temple near Mangalore was known for a ritual known as “made snana”. Under this system lower caste have to roll over the food left over by brahmins.

This practice is being continued with the blessings of the BJP and VHP. Only CPM has been in the forefront to bring an end to this inhuman practice, he said.

“Let Velappally visit the place and tell the temple authorities to stop this practice, only then he will come to know whether BJP and VJP are upper caste parties or not," Pinarayi said.

He reminded Vellapally that that BJP had organised nationwide agitations against the VP Singh led National Front Government for implementing Mandal Commission report which guaranteed 27 per cent reservations for OBCs in central government services and public sector.

The NF government was supported by the Left Front. Pinarayi said that the BJP RSS had launched the Ram Janmabhumi temple agitation to topple the VP Singh Government which was committed to social justice.