Kerala will soon become Muslim majority state: SNDP leader Vellappally Natesan
Speaking at a state-level branch leadership meeting of various Yogam unions in Kottayam, Vellappally also asserted that a united Ezhava community could potentially determine the state's chief minister. He also expressed concern that both the LDF and UDF were primarily catering to the interests of the Muslim community only.
He warned that the Muslim population would soon become the majority in the state and said the current situation is such that the state government should just listen to Kanthapuram and govern.
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Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- Indian Express
As Vellappally continues ‘anti-Muslim' remarks, Congress says his ‘divisive statements' at CM Vijayan's behest
Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) general secretary Vellappally Natesan's alleged hate speech against the Muslim community in Kerala has created a political storm with Opposition Congress alleging that he was making the 'divisive statements'' at the behest of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Natesan, who had recently predicted a third consecutive term for Vijayan, on Sunday said that Kerala will become a Muslim majority state by 2040. 'Muslims have become an unbeatable force in the state. Whichever party is in power, Muslim clerics including Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar are interfering in the government. The situation is such that any reforms, before being introduced, should get consent from Malappuram (Muslim-dominated district),'' he alleged. His remarks at an SNDP function was a sequel to a similar comment on Saturday, when he said the IUML, which is mainly operating in North Kerala, was eyeing seats in Central Kerala in the next Assembly elections. 'After winning the elections, the IUML wants to get the chief minister's post,' he claimed. Coming out against Natesan, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan said community leaders should desist from making such 'divisive statements.'' 'The SNDP Yogam general secretary has echoed what the CPI(M) leaders in Kerala speak against Malappuram and what the Chief Minister had stated in Delhi through public relation agencies. Everything is at the behest of the Chief Minister. This hate speech is against the philosophy of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru (who founded the SNDP Yogam). The Opposition will question the campaign aimed at creating hate and chasm in society,'' the Congress leader said. Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty accused the government of complicity in Natesan's 'brazen communal comments'. 'This is not the first time that Natesan is making such communal statements. The government has to react to this. We cannot agree with such communal statements,'' he said. Without naming Natesan, the CPI(M) state secretariat, in a statement, urged people 'to be vigilant against any move that would undermine Kerala's secular culture'. 'The party views the rights of minorities as part of the protection of secularism. Only in a secular society, all religious and non-religious people can function democratically,'' the CPI(M) state secretariat said. Although the IUML has been away from power for the last nine years, Natesan has been constantly attacking the party, an ally of the Congress, as if it controls state politics. His words were apparently aimed at building an anti-Muslim plank in the Assembly elections to be held next year. Incidentally, the leader of the traditionally pro-CPI(M) Ezhava community has stepped up the attack on the IUML after the CPI(M) failed in its efforts to woo the IUML into the party-led Left Democratic Front fold after its crushing defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In April, Natesan had stated that backward communities 'cannot breathe freely' in the Muslim-dominated Malappuram district, which he termed 'a special country and a state with a special section of people'. Although his observations had triggered an outrage then, Natesan got support from Vijayan, who said the Ezhava community leader's words were 'misrepresented.'' Natesan had been the patron of SNDP's political wing, Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), which is now an ally of BJP-led NDA in Kerala. Natesan's son Tushar Vellappally is the BDJS chairman. Although the BDJS is with the NDA, the party at the grassroots level has to depend upon followers of the SNDP, many of them traditionally with the CPI(M).
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Congress-IUML mounts pressure on Kerala government to hold Vellappally Natesan accountable for stoking religious schism
The Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) sought to mount pressure on the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government on Sunday (July 20, 2025) to hold Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan accountable for allegedly stoking religious schisms in society through 'communal and caste grievance-weighted hate speeches.' Almost synchronously, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] appeared to scramble to distance itself from the Hindu backward class organisation leader's contentious remarks. It seemed not lost on the CPI(M) that Mr. Natesan headed the Left Democratic Front (LDF)-backed Renaissance Protection Samiti (RPS), a collective formed in 2019 ostensibly to further progressive and secular values to counter a perceived right-wing drift towards identity politics in Kerala society. The CPI(M) State secretariat urged the SNDP Yogam leadership to pursue the humanist, progressive, and secular values expounded by social reformer and Renaissance leader Sree Narayana Guru. The CPI(M) stated that social organisations were free to raise any issue concerning the people. However, it should not be in a manner that created religious divisions and hate. Chandrika flays Natesan The fraught relationship between the IUML-Congress leadership and Mr. Natesan appeared to fray further on Sunday, with IUML mouthpiece Chandrika criticising Mr. Natesan for allegedly spewing 'communal venom to claw back socio-political relevance.' Mr. Natesan had invited the UDF leadership's ire by remarking on Saturday that both the ruling front and the Opposition were uniformly beholden to the Muslim community, given its 'growing electoral and economic heft.' He said both fronts were hostages to minority vote bank politics. He had alleged that the IUML planned to expand its presence to central and south Kerala by demanding more seats in the regions in the 2026 Assembly polls, possibly with an eye on the Chief Minister's post. IUML national general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty emphasised that it was the responsibility of the LDF government to act against individuals who exploited the bully pulpit of influential social organisations to cause communal divisions in Kerala's secular society. Nevertheless, he avoided addressing the question of whether the police should charge Mr. Natesan with creating enmity between different sets of people and instead placed the burden on the government to 'determine the proper course of action.' Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan alleged that Mr. Natesan raised dog whistle issues such as caste and religion at the behest of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He accused the CPI(M) of sending a subtly aimed political message through Mr. Natesan to galvanise the majority community votes by othering minorities. Mr. Satheesan accused the CPI(M) of sacrificing secularism at the altar of political expediency. Mr. Natesan stated that some quarters sought to quell the Ezhava communities' 'struggle for social, economic, and political justice' by cherry-picking Sree Narayana Guru's teachings. He said he was 'willing to go to jail for speaking social truths.'
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Interfaith gathering opposes Waqf, Bodh Gaya Temple Acts
1 2 Nagpur: Prominent voices from both the Muslim and Buddhist communities on Sunday called for mass movement against the implementation of the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025 and the Bodh Gaya Temple Act. Representatives from both communities had gathered under one roof at an interfaith conference on Constitutional Rights organised by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and the Bharatiya Bhagidari Mission (BBM) at the Babasaheb Ambedkar International Convention Centre, Teka. The speakers alleged that the recent amendments infringed on the fundamental rights of religious freedom and the autonomy of religious institutions under Articles 25 and 26 of the Indian Constitution. Key speakers included AIMPLB spokesperson Qasim Rasul Ilyas, AIMPLB general secretary Moulana Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi, advocate Suresh Mane (founder-president, BBM), advocate Firdos Mirza and advocate Bhupendra Raipure. Ilyas called for a mass movement against the Act just like the farmers' protest in 2021 against the farm laws. "We must be prepared for a mass movement to ensure these discriminatory laws are rolled back, if not by this govt, then by the next govt," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Dr Vinod Rangari, district president of BBM, initiated the discussion followed by an introductory address by Abdul Rauf Shaikh, former CEO of the Maharashtra Waqf Board, who highlighted the object of the interfaith conference. Adv Mirza spoke on the constitutional rights of minorities. Qasim Rasul Ilyas offered a detailed critique of the Waqf Amendment Act 2025. Advocate Raipure shed light on the Bodh Gaya Temple Act. Dr Ravindra Mane called the gathering a new beginning in interfaith unity. Moulana Muzaddidi, in his presidential address, emphasised the need for peaceful protest against "unconstitutional laws". Dr Aves Hasan conducted the proceedings while Moulana Abdul Wahab Parekh delivered a vote of thanks. The programme concluded with a dua by Moulana Siraj Ahmed Qasmi. Mufti Abdul Qadir, Maulana Mustafa and Mufti Sabir among others were present. Hanif Patel, Irshad, Rafiq, Atiq Qureshi and members of CSRI and ASRA Foundations played a key role in ensuring the success of the meet.
