Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Bid for communal mobilisation: LDF

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has come down heavily on what it termed the attempted ‘communal mobilisation’ in the education sector.

Front convener Vaikom Viswan told a news conference here on Thursday that what the State witnessed now was a major mobilisation by communal and vested interests to put the government on the defensive over non-existent grievances and false allegations. He cited the attempt to kick up a row over the government decision to amend the Kerala Education Rules (KER) as the latest case in point.

All that the government had done was to constitute a committee to look into the question of amending the KER and to submit proposals. The government thought it fit to appoint the committee because the Kerala Education Rules were framed some 50 years ago and needed review to suit the changes that had come about in the interim. The government had no plan to just implement the recommendations of the committee. What it proposed to do was to place the suggestions of the committee for public debate and take any decision in the matter only after taking into account the concerns and opinions of all players in the field of education, he said.

Mr. Viswan said the campaign against the proposed amendment of the KER could not be seen in isolation. Although only a few religious heads had associated themselves with the attempt to forge a united front against the government, it was part of a concerted attempt by all those who were upset with the rising popularity of the Left among the minorities and other communities. This was nothing but an attempt to secure legitimacy for ‘traders in education’ in the name of religion and the forces behind the move were the same as those who had unleashed the ‘Liberation Struggle’ in 1957-’59 to bring down the EMS government.

The LDF convener hoped that these forces would realise that 2007 is not 1957. Their campaign against the government was based on baseless charges. For instance, they had alleged that the government was planning to leave recruitment in aided schools to the Public Service Commission (PSC) and that the LDF government was handing over the power to control the schools to the panchayats. These were all naked lies meant only to protect their vested interests. The LDF was confident that the people would see through such games and fully endorse the measures being taken by the government for the welfare of the people, Mr. Viswan said.

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