By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Kochi: The ‘Janakeeya Vikasana Munnani’ will field 2004 candidates in the coming Panchayat elections in Kerala, said Hameed Vanimel, political secretary of the state Jamat e Islami. He was speaking at the state-level announcement of the ‘Janakeeya Aikyavedi’, formed by cultural and literary activists in Kochi.
The ‘Janakeeya Aikyavedi’ was formed under the leadership of veteran journalist BRP Bhasker, human rights activists CR Neelakandan and Civic Chandran with the support of the Jamat e Islami. The forum was formed with a view to protect the local self-government institutions from (the politics of) political parties.
Hameed Vanimel said that popular local committees have been formed in all places. 90 percent of the committees are centred in panchayats. Candidates who are not corrupt and who are ready to listen to people should be elected. The local government should be made energetic using the people’s votes. Four candidates who won in the last panchayat elections with JIH support has showed that they could make good development in their respective places, he added.
It is high time the politics of today should change, said BRP Bhasker while delivering the presidential address at the programme. What is happening now is the rule of politicians for themselves. And people too have sort of accepted it. There will not be a solution to people’s problems without a change in this. Both the fronts of Kerala are acting against people’s interests. They are not facing the problems of the society. People should be able to block the come-back of both the fronts. Now there is an opportunity for it and people should utilize it maximum. Those contesting under the ‘Aikyavedi’ should campaign without spending much money. Candidates with popular acceptance should be fielded in Dalit and women’s reservation wards, he added.
The politicization of politics by the politicians made this ‘aikyavedi’ essential, said Civic Chandran. It is important that people should organize outside the banner of the mainstream parties, said Laha Gopalan, leader of the Chengara Samarasamithi (committee working for land for Adivasis). Bishop Gee Varghese Mar Koorilose requested in his message that the candidates winning on ‘Aikyavedi’ banner should provide help for mentally challenged people. Writer Sugathakumari felicitated that Aikyavedi may be able to free the panchayats from the fronts, which is very hard. People should utilize the election to root out the nails hammered into people’s heads by haughty politicians, said writers Perumpadavam Sreedharan and Zacharia. S Susheelan, KA Shafeeq, Dr V Venugopal, Liyo Jose, Suhail Hashim, Joy Kaitharam, M Nandakumar, KK Kochu, Jagadeesh etc attended the programme.
A 12-point programme was announced at the function. It included freeing the local self-government institutions from corruption, putting an end to the discrimination in distributing allowances, giving importance to people’s interests in development activities, ensuring development by protecting the environment, executing the Dalit-Adivasi programmes etc.