KOCHI: A delegation of Hindu Aikyavedi met Chief Minister VD Satheeshan on July 10 and submitted a memorandum. It consisted of resolutions passed by the Hindu Leadership Conclave held at Ernakulam on June 26. The delegation was led by KP Sasikala Teacher and RV Babu, the chief patron and state president of the Hindu Aikyavedi, respectively. Later, Hindu leaders said the Chief Minister told them that their demands would be sympathetically considered. The significant issues affecting the Hindu community in Keralam were included in the memorandum.
The memorandum informed the Chief Minister that the Hindu Leadership Conclave discussed various issues that Hindus in Keralam face. Representatives of 124 Hindu organisations participated in the conclave. More than 225 leaders attended.
So far, no studies have been carried out regarding the socio-economic conditions of the Hindu community in the state. All sections of the Hindu community in the state suffer a lot in the social and educational fields. The memorandum demanded the appointment of a commission like the Justice J.B. Koshi Commission to study these issues.
According to the Supreme Court verdict, SC and ST people who converted to other religions have deviated from the Gothra Samskriti (traditional culture); hence, they cannot be counted as part of tribal society. Therefore, reservation benefits for them may be stopped based on the Supreme Court verdict (Chintada Anand vs State of Andhra Pradesh).
The memorandum also said that the plan share for the SC and ST sections is always lapsing on a large scale. The funds are lapsing as schemes are not submitted on a time-bound basis.
Here are the demands mentioned in the memorandum:
- Stop religion-based reservation.
- Provide reservation benefits to the backward communities.
- Stop providing reservation benefits to SC/ST sections who have converted to other religions.
- Take urgent steps to recover the lost temple lands.
- Withdraw the cases registered in connection with the Sabarimala agitation of 2018–19.
- Give back the temples, including the Guruvayoor Parthasarathi Temple, to the devotees.
- Protect the identity of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit and empower Sanskrit studies there.
- Appoint a commission to study issues related to Hindu society’s social, economic and educational affairs.
- Assure population-based reservation to the OBH (Other Backward Hindu) within the OBC sections.
- Make laws to prevent reductions in funds for SCs and STs and prevent the funds from lapsing.
All India Brahmin Federation Vice-President Subramanian Moosad, Prof. P.K. Gopinathan, Mohan Thriveni and K.V. Sivankutti were in the delegation.
