Kerala CM Vijayan slams Amit Shah over Ambedkar remarks, alleges promotion of caste system

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister and veteran Marxist leader Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday strongly criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on B R Ambedkar in Parliament.

Vijayan accused Shah of promoting the idea of "Chaturvarnyam", or the four-tier caste system, which he claims is supported by the Sangh Parivar and preferred over the Indian Constitution.

Speaking at the valedictory public meeting of the Thiruvananthapuram district CPI(M) party conference at Kovalam, Vijayan claimed that the Sangh Parivar did not contribute to India's struggle for independence and accused it of consistently advocating for a religious state over a secular nation, while also supporting the four-tier caste system.

"Under the Chaturvarnya, which the Manusmriti propagated, the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are not even considered humans. Shah's statement against Ambedkar stemmed from this attitude as well," Vijayan said.

He alleged that the Sangh Parivar holds the Constitution in great contempt and still advocates for the Manusmriti to be the fundamental social system governing the country.

The CM said the Constitution was finalised after several rounds of careful discussions and with an aim to include diversity and values.

Vijayan also accused Shah of making a "factually incorrect statement" regarding financial aid for landslide-affected Wayanad. Vijayan claimed that Shah misled the people when Kerala MPs, excluding those from the BJP, met him to demand financial assistance.

Vijayan also demanded an explanation from the central government for its "failure" to provide financial aid to Kerala.

He questioned the criteria used to allocate funds. "Have they done it after getting all the demand statements? What is the shortcoming of Kerala compared to other states? If there are any, tell us that."

Vijayan asserted that Kerala is not begging the Centre for aid, but rather demanding its rightful share as part of the Indian Union.

"The central government has a responsibility to provide the states with what is duly theirs," he said.

Vijayan also alleged that the Congress party contested the Lok Sabha polls in Kerala with the support of communal forces, such as the SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami.

Furthermore, he accused the Congress of supporting the BJP, thereby enabling them to secure their first Assembly seat in Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016 and later their first Lok Sabha seat in Thrissur in 2024.

"No political party should promote communal forces for the sake of a few votes," Vijayan said. "This approach will not benefit Kerala or its people," the CM added.