Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said narrow interests should not be allowed to undermine our unity as no religion or a nation is greater than man.
The CM’s remarks, on his Facebook page, came on the occasion of Sree Narayana Guru’s Samadhi Day and it assumes significance in view of the ongoing controversy in the state over the ‘narcotic jihad’ remark by a Catholic Bishop. Hailing the contribution of Guru in transforming Kerala as a modern society, he said that the obstacles in the path of becoming a community as envisioned by the sage were racist ideology and the remnants of the caste system which are still strong enough to “embarrass us”.
Vijayan said people ought to “proclaim out loud that a religion and a nation are not greater than man. No narrow interests can be allowed to undermine our unity”.
“.. let us pledge on this day that we will stand together for the common good of the country. May that unity take our country to new heights,” he said, adding that we have to go a long way to fulfil Guru’s dream.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan also tweeted a message on the occasion, saying “My pranams to #SreeNarayanaGuru, on his Samadhi day. #Guru placed the human being at the centre of all existence, and advocated self improvement by individuals as the only hope for the society and the world.” The CM, in his post, also said that the Guru gave priority to the essence of man above all else and was critical of brahmanism and the ideas of sectarianism, which are the basis of the caste-feudal system.