Thiruvananthapuram: Finance Minister Dr. T. M. Thomas Isaac quoted Sree Narayana Guru in his budget speech five times. He began the speech recalling Guru's proclamation not to follow a religion or believe in caste. The centenary celebrations of the proclamation are currently on for a year. Dr. Isaac in a veiled attack against SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan said that there are bigwigs who have tried to conveniently forget Guru.
He quoted Guru, “we do not include in any specific religion or caste,” and said these words had played a major role in determining the state’s progress in the last century. “Today’s government is the result of the recent poll outcome. This government’s first budget indicates the direction of the change for the state in the next five years,” he said.
He said the people of Kerala had rubbished the communal fascist forces enabling the LDF to come to power. He was inspired by the revolutionary call given by Sree Narayana Guru. “Guru had said that he does not follow any caste or religion. But there are certain bigwigs who have been blinded with casteism and rubbished Guru's ideals and even dared to file a case against him,” added Dr Isaac.
He announced cultural complexes in all the 14 districts and earmarked a centre in Guru’s name in Kollam at a cost of Rs 40 crore each. These will have a drama centre, cinema theatre, music hall, gallery, book shops, seminar halls, work centres and short stay home for artists.
Sivagiri Mutt gets Rs 5 crore for museum
Finance minister Dr. T. M. Thomas Isaac in his state budget announced Rs 5 crore for the Sree Narayana Museum at Sivagiri. However, Sivagiri Mutt authorities had demanded Rs 500 crore for the museum to be set up in the name of Guru when BJP national president Amit Shah was visiting Sivagiri last month. He had then promised Mutt authorities to get most of the pending proposals sanctioned by the central Government.
Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust general secretary Swami Rithambarananda told DC that this time, apart from the Rs 5 lakh for the Sree Narayana Guru Museum at Sivagiri, Rs 20 lakh had also been allocated for a convention centre at Chempazhanthy Gurukulam. But he said that the various other proposals submitted before the previous UDF Government were still pending. “We have already demanded Rs 500 crore towards the Sree Narayana Guru museum at Sivagiri Mutt which is pending,” Swami said.
