Opposition in Kerala targets Pinarayi with his caste: Will they ever learn?

This is the third instance in recent times that the Kerala Chief Minister’s caste has been brought in to make a political attack.

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Youth Congress Kerala Secretary Shahnas Palakkal seems to be living in another era altogether. According to his latest Facebook post, it is a person's birth and family legacy that determine his worth.

He also brought in 'karma' into the equation to bolster his feudal arguments. In the post addressed to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Shahnas goes on to say that the latter is inferior to Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President Mullappally Ramachandran, because of these factors.

On Wednesday, Mullappally had said that the CM's video conference with the Dubai diaspora in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic was a farce.

Pinarayi, in his daily COVID-19 briefing for the state on the same day, responded to Mullapally's allegation, and said that "some people won't change". He added that the latest instance was a proof of this, in a reference to Mullapally.

However, this did not go down well with supporters of Mullappally, and a casteist poster targeting Pinarayi soon began to circulate on social media. The poster, with the name of Indira Gandhi Centre run by the KPCC, and with the image of Mullappally, reads: "Remember comrades, it's not toddy tapping but the freedom fight which is the legacy here."

Pinarayi belongs to an oppressed caste from the Ezhava or Thiyya community, for which toddy tapping has traditionally been the occupation. The reference in the poster is thus unmistakably an offensive and casteist jibe at the Kerala CM.

Shahanas Palakkal's post only adds to the regressive nature of the discourse, with him repeatedly emphasising family legacy. In the conclusion of his post, he says that he views Pinarayi being on the chair of the Kerala CM as the beauty of democracy. The condescension in his words become apparent when the post is read entirely -- as if it's not natural for someone like Pinarayi to become the CM of a state.

Pinarayi, however, is not new to such casteist attacks. Janmabhoomi, the mouthpiece of the BJP in Kerala, had published a cartoon in December 2018, ridiculing Pinarayi by alluding to his caste. The cartoon said that certain things had to be kept in mind while giving a plum post to a man who used to climb coconut trees. The cartoonist was sacked owing to the widespread outrage that it evoked.

During the Sabarimala turmoil in the state, a woman was booked for using a casteist slur against the Chief Minister.

It's not that Pinarayi Vijayan is above criticism. However, those in public life must seriously introspect why they need to fall back on targeting their political opponent with his caste. Even outside the political realm, why must anyone -- be it the CM or a daily wage worker -- be pinned down to their caste?

People like Shahanas Palakkal and the person who created the poster surely have much to learn in a state that is often celebrated for its high literacy rate.