Call for "Reservation Front" formation revived in Kerala

Kozhikode: Disappointed over the CPI-(M) led government's decision to implement forward caste reservation, the backward communities are mulling over the revival of "Samvarana Munnani" (Reservation Front) as a third front other than Left Democratic Front and United Democratic Front.

Sree Narayana Guru Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), an organisation of Ezhava community, which constitutes 23 percent of the total Kerala population, was the first to blow a whistle to the backward communities in this regard. On Monday, SNDP president Vellappally Natesan urged the communities which support community reservation to part ways with the fronts, led by parties which support economic reservation, and form a third front. He stated that SNDP will ally with such a third front, once it is formed.

"70 percent of people in Kerala are eligible for community reservation. The community based reservation can be implemented in fully only if backward communities stand together," Vellappally said.

Several organisations and political parties, disgruntled over the LDF and UDF's reservation policy, are supporting Vellapally's demand. Social Democratic Party of India state president Abdul Majeed Faizi welcomed Vellappally's statement and said that such a third front is a need of the hour.

"The traditional parties have ditched the backward communities and have joined hands to protect the interests of the Savarna communities. In this context, a third front is inevitable. The Left and Right fronts are vying to appease the socially privileged upper class minority," Faizi said in a statement.

In a similar vein, Muslim Educational Society president Dr. Fazal Gafoor also urged to revive Samvarna Samudaya Munnani (Reservation communities front). At a programm conducted by Samudayika Samvarana Samrakshana Munnani (Backward communities reservation rights protection front) at Thiruvananthapuram on Monday to commemorate late Adv. Pookkunju Sahib's contributions, Dr Fazal Gafoor said that an alliance of the backward communities is inevitable to overpower the crookedness of the political parties.

Sunny M. Kappikkadu, prominent writer and social activist, also welcomed Vellapally's call to form the alliance.

Meanwhile, Samastha Kerala Jamiyathul Ulema has demanded the government to step back from the move to thwart the representation and rights of the backward communities including Muslims. While inaugurating the leaders' meet and 'Reservation Right Declaration", Samastha president Jifri Muthukoya Thangal warned the government against towing reservation with economic conditions. The organisation has decided to form "Samastha Reservation Rights Protection Committee" in all the districts.

In this regard, Samudayika Samvarana Samrakshana Munnani has announced a protest in front of Kerala Secretariat on December 15.

Welfare Party, Bhim Army and Minority Rights Watch are among 60 organisations which form Samudayika Samvarana Samrakshana Munnani.