RSS attempt to destroy social progress: Karat

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM politburo member Prakash Karat said that the RSS-led Hindutva regime in the country is trying to destroy the social progress we have achieved in the last century. He was inaugurating the Vaikom Satyagraha Centenary Seminar organized by AKG Center for Research and Studies.

History is being rewritten by erasing Mughal history etc. from NCERT textbooks and inserting illogical ideas. Darwin's theory of evolution was the last to be debunked. The RSS leader's justification for this is that man came into existence through Dashavataras. They are trying to push history and science backward. An attempt is made to demystify the Renaissance values.

To create a caste-free society, we should take up the ideas put forward by great souls like Sree Narayana guru and fight for the creation of a class-free society. Never in its history has RSS prepared for a temple entry strike. They stand for Varnashrama dharma and their faith is in Manu Smriti. Vaikom Satyagraha is characterized by bringing together the upper castes and the oppressed lower castes under the same roof. People like Periyar EV Ramaswamy Naikkar became the leading fighter of Vaikom Satyagraha. He took up the struggle as the president of the Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Party but left the party after the Congress changed its approach.

The struggle for the liberation of the backward and downtrodden sections of the people in Kerala was strengthened by the activities of the left-wing and later the communist movement. Karat pointed out that while violence against Dalits is still happening in Tamil Nadu, it does not in Kerala.

CPI state secretary MV Govindan presided. CPI State Secretary Kanam Rajendran spoke. Sunil P Ilayadam delivered the keynote address. KN Ganesh, KM Sheeba, and V Karthikeyan Nair gave responses. TM Thomas Isaac gave the welcome speech and R Parvathi Devi gave the vote of thanks.