Siddaramaiah, Pinarayi share stage in Kerala close amid criticisms over Bengaluru demolition

Thiruvananthapuram: Close on the heels of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly criticising the Karnataka government over demolition of houses at Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout in Bengaluru, the Kerala leader and his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah shared a stage in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.

Both the chief ministers did not make any mention about the demolition of houses but stressed on the relevance of the preaching of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru amidst attempts to create religious and communal divides.

Vijayan and Siddaramaiah were speaking at the 93rd pilgrimage of the Sivagiri Mutt in Thiruvananthapuram that was founded by Sree Narayana Guru.

Siddaramaiah, who was the chief guest at the event, said that dividing people on the basis of religion and caste was the biggest injustice.

"The politics of creating division should be rejected. Religious leaders should speak against hatred. Karnataka government is following Sree Narayana Guru's ideologies of equality," he said.

He also hailed the contributions of the Guru in the fight against discrimination and the stress given for education, skill development and women empowerment.

Vijayan said in his inaugural address that people should be cautious against attempts by vested interest groups to distort and hijack the philosophies of Sree Narayana Guru.

"Theocratic state is totally against the vision and preaching of Guru. Hence no true devotee of Guru will go in the way of those who are advocating for theocratic state. We must remain vigilant against covert efforts to confine the Guru within the boundaries of any single caste or religion. The left-front government in Kerala is following the preaching of the Guru," Vijayan said.

Vijayan's statement assumed significance as the CPI (M) has been openly expressing concerns over the flow of Hindu-Ezhava votes to the BJP over the last couple of elections. The chief minister's statements highlighting the ideologies of Guru, who was born in an Ezhava family, could be seen as an attempt to influence the Ezhava vote banks.

Vijayan's critical remarks against the demolition of houses at Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout by terming it as another form of the anti-minority moves by Sangh Parivar outfits in northern states had triggered strong criticism from Congress leaders. Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar had accused Vijayan of showing sympathy towards minorities for political gains.