After a gap of several years, the reservation issue appears to return to the front burner of politics in Kerala with the Opposition LDF deciding to hit out at the SNDP Yogam leadership, seen moving closer to the BJP, where it matters the most with a campaign over the quota question.
The LDF would observe October 9 as ‘Reservation Protection Day’ and hold sit-in at panchayats and municipalities across the State against what it terms attempts by the BJP-RSS leadership to subvert the reservation system.
Although the general focus of the campaign would be on the statements of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat against reservation and endorsement of his position by other RSS leaders, the campaign would be specifically focused on the apparent contradiction in the positions of the SNDP Yogam and the RSS on the quota issue.
Even as the alliance pitches strongly for reservation for backward communities, the CPI(M) would run a parallel campaign for reservation benefits for the economically weaker sections among the forward communities.
Front convener Vaikom Viswan and CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said here on Thursday that there should be attempts to whittle away the reservation benefits currently being enjoyed by the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the Backward Classes.
At the same time, there should be a Constitution amendment to provide reservation benefits to the economically weaker sections among the forward communities without any reduction in the benefits available to the SCs, SCs and BCs. Mr. Balakrishnan said there should also be reservation of jobs for the SCs and STs in the private sector.
The CPI(M) State secretary, who addressed a news conference here, defended Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan, who had accused SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan of having indulged in corruption and taken bribe for appointments in educational institutions run by the Yogam. Mr. Achuthanandan would have raised the allegation in good faith.
If Mr. Natesan was of the view that this was not true, he could divulge how much money the SN Trust had taken for appointments in the colleges run by it and whether the entire amount had been credited in the account of the Trust.
Mr. Balakrishnan said Mr. Natesan’s attempts to take the Yogam into the Sangh Parivar camp would prove suicidal.
The BJP leadership should clarify whether it has decided to make Mr. Natesan its Chief Minister nominee and if so, its party leaders were ineligible for the position.
There have been instances of SNDP Yogam general secretaries becoming active in politics, but they had done so after giving up their post, he pointed out.
