Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 24 BJP Keralam president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday called for a fact-based discussion on the socio-economic condition of Scheduled Castes and other backward sections in the state.
Speaking at a meeting to organise the P K Chathan Master memorial meeting, scheduled to be held in Irinjalakuda on November 13, he said Kerala should examine whether the benefits of development over the past seven decades had reached all sections of society equally.
Chathan Master was a social reformer and the Scheduled Castes Welfare Minister in the first state Cabinet in the state.
He said the economic and social conditions of backward communities should be assessed using data and facts, with a focus on issues related to land, employment, education and housing.
The performance of successive governments in addressing their concerns should also be examined, he added.
BJP national executive member Kummanam Rajasekharan, while speaking on the occasion, sought reforms to Keralam’s land reform law, saying it had become outdated.
He said around 3.5 lakh people in the state were landless and nearly 5.5 lakh hectares of land remained after the expiry of lease periods. The leader demanded effective steps to resolve land-related issues and ensure that eligible people received land.
Kummanam also announced that a memorial would be built at the birthplace of social reformer Mahatma Ayyankali, expressing regret that one had not been established there despite his contributions to Keralam’s social renaissance.
The organising committee for the P K Chathan Master memorial meeting was formed at Mararji Bhavan, the BJP headquarters here. Chandrasekhar inaugurated the meeting, while Kummanam announced the memorial programme.
Former Nattika MLA and CPI leader C C Mukundan was elected chairman of the organising committee, former Vaikom MLA K Ajith its general convenor, and former Devikulam MLA S Rajendran its patron.
A 251-member committee was also formed to organise the event, a party statement added.
(PTI News)
