Recently at a function in Malappuram, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan extolled the virtues of Hajj pilgrimage. He said in his regime, nobody will face any discrimination for following a particular set of beliefs or ritualistic systems.
The next day, the social media came out with reports of how a Hindu CPI(M) leader was suspended for visiting Mookambika temple in Mangaluru.
PK Baby, local secretary, Vellarada, was sacked and his membership was withdrawn for six months. Although the party says he was punished for ‘anti-party activities’, sources in the party said a section of the leadership was unhappy that he visited the temple without its consent.
While the LDF government plans to bring a law to prevent “superstitious” practices in the state, observers feel that it is an effort to curb the religious freedom of Hindus and ridicule its belief systems. “When it comes to religious practices and outdated rituals of the organised minority communities, the CPI(M) turns a blind eye. The Finance Minister, Thomas Issac has given Rs 25 lakh to a Christian evangelical group Kripasanam, which is spreading superstitions on an industrial scale.”