The women’s wall to be created on January 1 is designed to counter the campaign against the Supreme Court verdict allowing entry for women of all age groups into the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
In a pressnote issued here on Sunday, the Chief Minister said the women’s wall was a reaction to the attempts by a section of the Hindu community to mobilise women against the apex court verdict and challenge the values of the social reformation movement.
It was in this context that the State government convened a meeting of progressive Hindu organisations and decided to create the women’s wall.
Status of women
The proposed women’s wall would be a landmark in the endeavour to improve the social status of women in the State, he said. The debate on the campaign for the women’s wall had succeeded in highlighting gender equality and the values of the reformation movement.
The campaign enjoyed the support of all democratic forces in the State.
Noting that the participation of women and people from all walks of life in the campaign had attracted global attention, he said the criticism against the women’s wall was borne out of ignorance about the history of the social reformation movement.
Social inequalities
“The Communist party in Kerala has a history of joining hands with organisations such as the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, Pulaya Mahasabha, and Praja Mandalam in the struggle to remove social inequalities,” he said.
Responding to criticism that the Communist party was giving up class struggle for identity politics, Mr. Vijayan said: “The fight against casteist forces and gender inequalities has been an integral part of class struggle for communists. We see women’s liberation as part of social liberation.”
Reformers
Observing that women’s issues had figured prominently in the agenda of the reformation movement in Kerala, Mr. Vijayan said leaders such as Sree Narayana Guru, Chattambi Swamikal, Ayyankali, Mannath Padmanabhan, and V.T. Bhattathiripad as well as those from minority communities such as Chalilakath Kunhahmed Haji, Vakkom Moulavi, Akkamma Cherian and Haleema Beevi had made it a priority.
Protecting the values of reformation movement cannot be viewed as communalism, he said.
Mr. Vijayan said that despite the achievements of the State in improving the educational, health and social status of women, Kerala had some way to go in bringing women into the mainstream of development activities.
Asserting that gender equality was the responsibility of society, he said it was significant that the campaign for the women’s wall had unstinted support of men from different walks of life.
