The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Plea to grant citizenship to Taslima

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Thursday, Dec 27, 2007
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Plea to grant citizenship to Taslima

Staff Reporter

Hold high the nation’s secular credentials: Yukthi Vadi Sanghom

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Yukthi Vadi Sanghom has, in a resolution passed at its 25th State conference that concluded here on Tuesday, asked the Central government to grant Indian citizenship to Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen and thereby hold high the nation’s secular credentials and culture.

This demand forms part of a 20-point resolution adopted at the State conference.

‘God’s Own Country,’ the official slogan of Kerala Tourism should be changed to ‘Humanitarianism’s Own Country’ or ‘Secularism’s Own Country.’ This should be done at least now when political parties that stand for progressive ideals have a majority.

On the education front, the State conference asked the government to ensure that all appointments to posts where the salary was paid by the government were made through the Public Service Commission. Weightage marks should be given to students hailing from poor families to enable them to get admission in institutions of higher learning.

The government should formulate laws to make government registration of marriages and divorces compulsory, in the same way births and deaths are registered. The government should do away with the practise of holding prayers at the beginning of public functions and should take steps to avoid holding religious events in public offices and educational institutions.

The resolution appeals to the Central government to expedite the Sethu Samudram project and to clearly define the terms ‘minorities’ and ‘minority rights’ as given in the Constitution. The government should also take steps to make the administration, the judiciary, and the education system religion-free.

The government should regulate the construction of places of worship that were mushrooming in the State and take steps to avoid environmental damages in centres of pilgrimage. The government should order an enquiry into the ‘makarajyothi’ phenomenon at Sabarimala. Financial constraints should be overlooked to provide an assistance of Rs.50,000 to all those who enter into inter-caste marriages and Rs.75,000 as housing assistance to the homeless.

The government should not delay action on the recommendations of the Marad Commission report.

The conference elected U. Kalanathan as the president and K. N. Anilkumar as the general secretary of the Sanghom.

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