Kerala is the last outpost of religious harmony, co-existence and camaraderie and it should not be allowed to fall, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
Addressing the Face-to-Face programme with the cultural leaders in Thrissur on Sunday, as part of Nava Kerala Sadas, the LDF government’s out-reach programme, he called upon cultural activists to fight against communal and fascist forces.
“There have been efforts to divide united Kerala in the name of religion, caste and lifestyle. We should not allow that. Kerala always keeps a left-oriented mindset. This led us way ahead of other States in terms of progress and life standards. Now efforts are being made to shift it towards the right. They are trying to turn united Kerala into a divided Kerala. The very survival of the State is under threat. We need to fight it unitedly,” said the Chief Minister.
“Democracy slips into fascism when a culture of uniformity such as one language, one culture and one religion is imposed. Not only in the case of economy the spirit of federalism should be protected in the cultural sector too. Federalism is the essence of our Constitution,” he said.
Mr. Vijayan said that it was the political and cultural brotherhood that has made Kerala what it is today.
“The State has aways respected the opinions of socio-cultural leaders. They are always led by the interest of social wellbeing not by any vested interests. They were a decisive force to form a public opinion on crucial issues.”
The Chief Minster urged effective intervention from the cultural sector to combat the destructive communalism that has been strengthening in the country.
If art and the artist want to survive or the writers and writings to survive, we need the basic foundation of unity among the people. There is no point in talking about freedom of expression once fascism clutches our system, he reminded.
The Chief Minister listed various initiatives of the LDF government to promote art and culture to protect artists in the State.
