Nearly a month after sparking outrage by accusing the Muslim community of attempting to expand its influence in Kerala, Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan has once again courted controversy by claiming that Kottayam district is under Christian dominance.

Addressing a meeting of the Meenachil-Kaduthuruthy SNDP Taluk Unions on Saturday, Mr. Natesan alleged that social justice was being denied to the Ezhava community and that educational opportunities were not being distributed fairly. Highlighting political underrepresentation, he pointed out that in Kottayam district, there was only one Ezhava MLA, while “all the others are those walking the path of the cross.”

‘Not a communalist’

Defending himself against accusations of communalism, he said, “I am not a communalist. I am only speaking for my community. When I raise these issues, it is branded as communalism. Even if you burn me alive, I will not retract my words. Where else can I express the sorrows of my community if not from this chair?,” asked Mr. Natesan

He further said there was not a single school or college under the SNDP Yogam in Pala. While institutions run by religious groups thrive, those promoting secularism remain downtrodden, he said.

Mr. Natesan also accused the media of distorting his earlier speech in Malappuram and claimed that criticism against him subsided only after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan issued a statement.

On IUML and secularism

On the occasion, he also questioned the Indian Union Muslim League’s (IUML) commitment to secularism. “Does the IUML have any non-Muslim MLAs?” he asked, further accusing the IUML of spreading the “poison of communalism” and adding that even the party’s name reflected its sectarian nature. “The League must be told these factors directly. That is my responsibility,” he said.

At the State-level inauguration of branch leadership meetings of various SNDP Yogam unions last month, Mr. Natesan had similarly courted controversy when he warned that the Muslim community would soon become the majority in Kerala and criticised the “undue interventions by the community in the State’s administrative affairs.”