Thiruvananthapuram, March 14 Swami Satchidananda, head of the Sivagiri Mutt, said on Saturday that backward communities are being denied adequate representation in elections by political parties.
He also welcomed the decision of the Kerala High Court to disqualify the leadership of the SNDP Yogam.
The Sivagiri Mutt is a spiritual center of the Ezhava community, which is numerically strong among backward communities in Kerala.
Speaking at a press conference, Satchidananda, who is also the president of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust, said he had been receiving frequent complaints from backward class communities alleging a lack of representation in elections.
He said the Mutt decided to intervene after hearing repeated complaints.
"There is only one MLA from the Sreenarayana community in Kerala now. When the first Congress government came to power, R Shankar was the Chief Minister," he said.
R Shankar was a member of the Ezhava community.
He said not only the Congress but all political fronts have failed to give sufficient consideration to backward communities.
"Until the tenures of K Karunakaran and A K Antony, there was a policy to give equal consideration to all communities. But after their period, winnable constituencies are not being given to candidates from backward communities," he said.
He said a majority of Kerala's population belongs to communities such as Ezhava, Dheevara, Vishvakarma and SC/ST groups.
He said he had requested Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to ensure equal representation for people from all these communities during his visit to Sivagiri Mutt.
He added that the same request had also been placed before the CPI(M) leadership.
"There are 10 ministers from one community in the LDF government. Backward communities cannot be said to be getting sufficient representation," he said.
He clarified that Sivagiri Mutt is not boycotting any political front.
"However, there will be a strong response from backward communities if sufficient representation is not provided," he said.
Regarding the BJP, he said that apart from a few leaders, there is little representation of backward classes in the party as well.
"There should be a change in this. Communities based on their percentage in Kerala should be uplifted, and equal social justice should be ensured by political parties," he said.
When asked whether this was an unprecedented move by Sivagiri Mutt, Satchidananda said he was making the statement in response to recent complaints.
"Sreenarayana Dharma has two aspects—spiritual and physical development. Apart from spiritual development, people should also get political development, which is part of Sreenarayana Dharma,” he said.
He said Sivagiri Mutt would not announce support for any political front.
"We will raise our voice until backward class communities get equal representation," he said.
The spiritual leader also welcomed the Kerala High Court decision disqualifying all office-bearers and the entire Board of Directors of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, including its general secretary Vellappally Natesan, over non-compliance with statutory requirements under the Companies Act.
"Under the leadership of Sree Narayana Guru and through the efforts of leaders from P Palpu to R Shankar, several achievements were made. In recent years there has been a pattern of moving back from those achievements," he said.
He said financial reservation is a basic necessity for people from backward communities.
"But actions that distance from them are harming the community and society."
He also said there have been unfortunate demands to amend the teachings of Sree Narayana Guru.
"Now a good governing body is vital for the SNDP and the reform movement," he said.
He noted that Sree Narayana Guru had taught that caste names should not be asked, told or thought about, but recent developments go against that principle.
He said several SNDP leaders in the past never used caste names or defamed other communities and worked for the welfare of society.
When asked why he was hesitant to mention Vellappally Natesan by name, Satchidananda said he did not want to refer to individuals.
He said the SNDP was part of one of the biggest reform movements in Kerala and had a long history, second only to the Congress.
Despite that legacy, the community's demands had not been adequately addressed, he alleged.
"SNDP Yogam, other than being a group of people, has not taken steps to realise the teachings of Sree Narayana Guru. There are several fields where work could be done, but nothing much has happened," he said.