Sivagiri Mutt head Swami Satchidananda has voiced concerns over the lack of adequate representation for backward communities in elections by political parties in Kerala, India. He also welcomed the Kerala High Court decision disqualifying the leadership of the SNDP Yogam.
Sivagiri Mutt head Swami Sachidananda has requested greater representation for MLAs from backward class communities in the UDF government's Cabinet.
V D Satheesan, a 61-year-old lawyer-turned-politician, has emerged as a prominent figure in Kerala politics, known for his aggressive opposition to the Left government and his role in revitalising the Congress party. His journey from student politics to a key leadership position highlights his strategic acumen and dedication to addressing local issues.
The Congress party has announced VD Satheesan as the next chief minister of Kerala, ending days of speculation. The decision was revealed at a press conference in New Delhi.
'The Kerala of today is not the Kerala of yesterday.' 'What has seeped into this society is the feeling of hatred towards other castes and religions.'
Kerala's 2026 assembly election will see a three-cornered contest where religion and communalism have emerged as central themes for the first time, challenging the state's long-celebrated secular fabric.
Sukumaran Nair said he had noted Natesan's remarks and that a decision would be taken after a meeting scheduled for January 21.
An employee of the famed Koodalmanikyam temple in Kerala has resigned, citing personal reasons, following allegations of caste discrimination. Balu, a member of the Ezhava community, was recruited for 'kazhakam' duties, which involve preparing garlands and performing ceremonial chores. The resignation has sparked controversy, with the Devaswom Minister assuring support for Balu and criticizing the temple's 'tantries' for their stance. The temple has two 'Kazhakam' positions, one appointed by the 'tantries' and the other filled according to the Acts and Regulations.
The current situation in Kerala politics is perhaps best described as a case of the state's traditional two front politics now seeing a third front (the BJP) muscling in with the potential outcome being either a messy three front affair or a renewed endorsement of the two front pattern but with one of the old fronts compromised or quashed, observes Shyam G Menon.
Religious sentiments are simmering God's own country Kerala. The Episcopal churches and the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam of the backward Ezhava community in the state are crying foul, claiming that the new generation Pentecostal churches are poaching their believers.
The editorial, titled "Ahimsa Award for the Executioner?", criticized Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for praising the entrepreneurial growth of Kerala under the Left government. It argued that it was "suicidal" to weaken the party from within when the Congress was actively opposing the shortcomings of the LDF government. The editorial also criticized Tharoor's positive remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent US visit, calling it a mere gesture by two administrators to improve their image.
'Otherwise, the minorities would not have acknowledged his leadership quality. I am happy the BJP is working towards achieving a secular image,' Vellappally Natesan, the OBC leader in Kerala who has created a controversy by supporting Narendra Modi, tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.
Thushar is the son of Vellappally Natesan, who is the general secretary of the influential Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, which works for the welfare of Ezhava community, a backward caste with sizeable population in the state.
She said there were attempts to communalise the guru's teachings and this amounts to 'betraying' him.
The matter could have been resolved with little fuss except for what some devotees, and representatives of Hindu organisations, claim is inspired fishing in troubled waters by the "atheistic" Communist government now in power in Kerala
Kerala's election discourse operates surreptitiously. Its explicit face focuses on important national and local issues. At the same time, it seeks to secure apt communal equations to ensure votes, notes Shyam G Menon.
'The appointment of 60 priests from the Dalit community is a historic moment.' 'Imagine this is happening in Kerala when Dalits are not even allowed to enter temples in some states even today.'
Children sitting together, and hugging each other is not desirable in India and it is dangerous, Vellappally Natesan said.
The Lok Sabha contest in Thiruvananthapuram is shaping up to be a significant battle involving key candidates like Shashi Tharoor, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and Panniyan Ravindran. This three-cornered fight highlights the political dynamics in Kerala's capital city, with each candidate bringing their own vision and promises for the region's development, notes Rajeev Srinivasan.
With Parliament rocked by constant disruptions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at the Congress, accusing it of making a "mockery of democracy" and deciding to "destroy" the country as it cannot reconcile to the Lok Sabha poll defeat.
Kerala CM wrote to EAM S Jaishankar, seeking his intervention in the matter.
On Easter, April 9, 10,000 BJP workers are being assigned to visit the houses of 100,000 Christian families. Plans are afoot to visit the homes of Muslims on Eid.
'They thought he can separate the Muslim votes and win, but the Kerala mind is completely different.' 'It is a secular mind because Hindus, Christians and Muslims live together.' 'We don't like somebody coming from outside, contesting in our state, winning and going and avoiding us.'
'Unlike in other states, minorities form a significant number in Kerala. They have money and political power. In such a society, the emergence of a new communal power is not a healthy thing.'
'If we want a stable society, then all groups must feel that they have a seat at the table of power.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday visited the Sivagiri Mutt, a revered spiritual centre established in Varkala, Kerala by the renowned 20th century saint-social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, and paid respects at his samadhi.
Kerala CM Oommen Chandy said the decision to exclude him from the function of unveiling of former CM R Sankar's statue at Kollam by PM Modi was a "painful experience".
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said it was a 'needless' controversy and the decision on the invite was taken by Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, an organisation of Ezhava community which was organising the event.
She was capable of a level of human compassion that is rare today among politicians, recalls Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar, who knew the Communist legend K R Gowri, who passed into the ages on May 11, from his childhood.
In fresh escalation of political violence in poll-bound Kerala, a 28-year-old Youth Congress worker was hacked to death allegedly by Democratic Youth Federation of India workers at Evoor in Alapuzha on Tuesday even as the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India - Marxist workers clashed in Thiruvananthapuram district leaving at least 30 injured.
Ruling Congress-led UDF in Kerala on Saturday suffered a setback in the civic elections, billed as the semifinal ahead of next year's assembly polls, as CPI-M-led LDF won a majority of local bodies while the BJP made inroads improving its performance.
'Slightly more than 50 per cent of all Keralites are Hindus. If we can unite as many as we can, we can create a huge difference in the political scene in Kerala.'
'Why do they talk about Narendra Modi insulting Oommen Chandy when he himself informed the PMO that he would not be available? Why did he write to Delhi that he was preoccupied on the 15th? After that, he should not make such noise about the function.'
'This will be the first open university in Kerala and it is a great tribute to Gurudevan by the helmsman of the Communist movement in Kerala,' observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'The BJP can kill two birds with one stone by wresting back control of the message; and the steps are fairly obvious. Once the media is neutral, there is a level playing field,' argues Rajeev Srinivasan.
Hoping to make its mark in Kerala, the BJP sewed up an alliance with the BDJS, the new party formed by SNDP, a powerful organisation of the backward Ezhava community.
Legendary Marxist firebrand K R Gowri, one of the founding leaders of the Communist movement in Kerala and the lone woman member in the state's first cabinet, died at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
In a potential political setback for Sri Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam chief Vellapally Natesan, the Kerala government on Saturday announced further investigation into the death of Swami Saswathikananda of Sivagiri Mutt, following a Crime Branch report citing new revelations in the case.
'Kerala will witness a lot of fireworks in Wayanad and a kind of fight that it has not witnessed so far.'
The BJP scripted history by opening its account in the state assembly.
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