Narendra Nayak, president of the Federation of Indian Rationalists, has accused the Union government of infiltrating into the lives of people. He said the progress achieved by social reformers in the past 100 years was set to be wiped out in a few years. Mr. Nayak was speaking at a fraternity conference on the final day of the centenary celebrations of Sahodaran Ayyappan’s Misra Bhojanam and the rationalist movement here on Monday.
“After 2014, the government is for Hindutva, by Hindutva and of Hindutva. The situation is deteriorating day by day,” Mr. Nayak said. A government which had the support of only 30 per cent of voters was trying to convert our democracy into a theocracy.
“The first experiment to make our country a theocracy is being taken up in Uttar Pradesh. A sanyasi, whose only claim to fame is that he is the mahant of a sect, has been appointed the Chief Minister of the State. Tomorrow, swamis in other States too may become Chief Ministers,” Mr. Nayak said.
“We have had bad governments at the Centre. But previous governments were not as bad as this. To develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry, and reform is one of the goals of the Constitution. Let alone doing this, the government is doing irrational things,” he alleged.
Mr. Nayak criticised the importance given to cow and its products. “Cow urine has emerged as the most pure thing. Now they are talking about go-mutra , later there will be go-phenyl and go-shampoo also,” he said. Pointing out the murders of Narendra Dabholkar, M.M. Kalburgi, and Govind Pansare, Mr. Nayak said that rationalists’ lives were at stake and some of them were living with body guards. He said that only a united fight with like-minded individuals and organisations would help counter majoritarian forces. Benoy Viswam, former Minister, Dhaneswar Sahoo and B. Sambasivarao, among others, echoed his views.
Earlier, inaugurating the conference, K. Veeramani, president, Dravidar Kazhagam, spoke about the historic role played by Periyar E.V. Ramasamy and Sahodaran Ayyappan in eradicating caste system. He said that reservation to the oppressed people in employment and education was like a “compensation to offset the discrimination faced by them over centuries”.
The valedictory function was attended by K.N. Anil Kumar, president, Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham.
