- >>
- Reports
Wake up Keralam, a fledgling collective of some of Keralam's prominent independent writers, artists and intellectuals has plunged into the Assembly poll campaign with the sole call to the voters to stop BJP led NDA from winning a single seat in the state.
The movement which draws inspiration from Bengaluru bases All India People's Movement(AIPM)organized a Satyagraha in the temple town of Guruvayoor to protest the hate speech by the BJP candidate who called for electing only a Hindu candidate from the multi religious constituency which had been electing Muslim candidates of either CPI (M) led LD F or Congress led UDF in the past.
The satyagraha brought together social activists from far corners of the state. The protest took place on the very day Modi was campaigning in the nearby Thrissur seat.
The satyagraha was preceded by a vehicle Jatha in the district appealing to the voters to vote for anyone but NDA in the April 9 polls.
The Wake up Keralam team also campaigned in the northernmost constituencies of Keralam, Manjeswaram and Kasaragod where the BJP and UDF are engaged in a neck and neck race. The movement volunteers will campaign against BJP candidates in Palghat town which the BJP is eying this time and also Chathannur and Trivandrum in deep south where the BJP is hoping to win atleast a couple of seats.
"Ours is a voluntary movement of anti fascists belonging to
different parties and different ideological persuasions who have come together to isolate and stop ruling Hindutwa fascist backed NDA from entering the state Assembly." saidN Madhavan Kutty Senior Journalist andHuman rights activist.
The Thrissur based Wake up Keralam chaired by well known writer K Sachidanandan include writer activist Dr KhadijaMumtaz,Novelist Sara Joseph , scholar activist K Sahadevan of Transitional Studies social activist K Ajitha,poet Gopikrishnan, Gandhian Socialist Prof K P Shankaran.
The collective leadership happy with the public support for it is determined to continue its work after the polls. It is organizing a Constitution Festival in the state soon after the April 9 polls.
It is only the beginning as the state for the first time in its history is facing the challenge of BJP growing into a third electoral force " said 78 year old
Prof KP Shankaran ,who taught philosophy at St Stephen's ,Delhi.
