Kottayam: The Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha (KPMS) on Tuesday offered support to the ongoing strike at Vadayampady where a wall was erected around a plot to prevent the public from entering a village temple. Speaking to reporters at Kottayam press club, Mundukottackal Surendran, state president of the KPMS said that the strike at Vadayampady was not on the issue of land encroachment. “It is about discriminating against people on the basis of caste. The KPMS is determined to continue the strike till the end,” Mr Surendran told DC.
Mr Surendran alleged that Sangh Parivar organizations manhandled those who arrived for the Scheduled Caste Swabhimana convention on February 4. He said that the police action “in suppressing the Dalit Swabhimana convention is raising doubts. Throughout the discussions, these organizations were hiding the fact regarding the erection of a caste wall.” He alleged that mainstream political parties were maintaining culpable silence on the strike. “This is because they are focused on votebank politics,” he said, alleging that the construction of a caste wall so as to possess the temple and land with the help of the state could be justified by any means.
Temple sees SDPI-Maoist plot behind stir
The Bhajanamadom Temple Land Protection Forum on Tuesday said that the compound wall built at Vadayambadi Bhajanamadom temple was destroyed by SDPI-Maoist outfits by misleading a section of Dalit families and the Dalit families who were trapped in that manner have become accused in police cases and are in penury. NSS Karayogam president Ramesh Kumar B, KPMS state general secretary Thuravoor Suresh, Hindu Aikya Vedi state secretary K P Suresh and A Vinod of the forum told a press conference that the compound wall was built with the sanction of the panchayat and on the land apportioned by the RDO. They said that the temple administration has always been conducting its affairs legally.
The festival was conducted with the active participation of all. All sections of Hindu society are involved in the worship at the temple. The kazhakam of the temple is a Dalit woman. They said that all deals with regard to land also were done legally. A meeting to explain all these will be held at Kolancherry-Choondy junction tomorrow.
