Oommen Chandy lauds A P Aboobacker's 'Kerala Yatra'

Thiruvananthapuram, April 29: The 'Kerala Yatra' taken up by All-India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama general secretary Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar has come with the right message at the right time for the State, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said.

Addressing a packed Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium where activists of various Sunni Muslim organisations and fellowships gathered on Saturday to mark the culmination of the Yatra that began from Kasaragod on April 12, Mr. Chandy said the mission that upheld the values of humanity over hatred and advocated a humane approach, peace and communal harmony was aptly timed in a society which was being torn apart by terrorism and strife.

The Yatra, which would undoubtedly be discussed in public domain for several years to come, had called for rejection of weapons and for settling of differences of opinion through exchange of ideas and dialogue themed on humanity. The overwhelming reception accorded to the Yatra was enough indication of the success the mission had achieved, he added.

Delivering the keynote address, the Musaliyar suggested that a comprehensive project on the lines of the Literacy Mission be formulated by the government to shape a 'humanitarian Kerala'. This was necessary because the vast developmental strides the State took were now being offset by unwanted trends. The Yatra, he said, had convinced him and his followers that the notions and beliefs that certain sections within the Muslim community held about the Kerala society were wrong.

Pointing out that many had raised doubts that the Yatra was a precursor to the formation of a political party by him, the Sunni leader said there never existed such an objective and moreover, he was against religious organisations converting into political parties.

However, that did not imply that Sunni organisations and activists did not have political awareness. They had a clear stance and even plans to address social issues and on development of the State and the nation and the Muslim community in particular. Those who had similar approaches would be supported as well.

Political interventions need not be construed as precursors to formation of a political party, he said, adding that there were Sunni institutions focusing on keeping activists abreast of religious, political, social and economic situations, which in turn played a major role in formulating the organisation's political stance.

KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, Ministers Aryadan Mohammed and V.S. Sivakumar, former Minister M. Vijayakumar, K.E. Ismail, MP; RSP national general secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan, K. Muraleedharan, V. Surendran Pillai, V. Sivankutty, Palode Ravi, MLAs, and a number of leaders from various religions and organisations were present.