Resist efforts to portray Guru as mere religious saint, says CM

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has warned against attempts to reduce Narayana Guru's legacy to that of a religious figure, stating that such efforts are part of a larger agenda to distort the social reformer's revolutionary contributions.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

CHIEF Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has warned against attempts to reduce Narayana Guru's legacy to that of a religious figure, stating that such efforts are part of a larger agenda to distort the social reformer's revolutionary contributions. He was speaking at the inauguration of the 171st Narayana Guru Jayanthi celebrations at Chempazhanthy on Sunday.

"There are efforts by communal forces to appropriate Guru's legacy and portray him merely as a religious saint. These must be viewed with caution," the chief minister said.

He added that even festivals like Onam are being subjected to similar narrative distortions, citing recent attempts to elevate Vamana as the central figure of the celebration.

Pinarayi emphasised that the greatest tribute to Guru would be to truly understand and spread his message of universal brotherhood and social justice.

"His relevance only grows with time. Guru pulled Kerala out of the murky waters of casteism, religious orthodoxy and superstition. He laid the foundations for a just and humane society by declaring that no one should be excluded from social progress," he noted.

Referring to Narayana Guru's conversations with writer C V Kunhiraman, the CM pointed out that Guru had once said there is nothing called a 'Hindu religion' and that the core intentions of all religions are the same. "He saw the clashes between religions as meaningless. For him, love and humanity were inseparable."