Thiruvananthapuram, March 7 (IANS) The Sivagiri Mutt on Saturday urged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to ensure that candidates from backward communities are fielded in winnable constituencies in the upcoming Assembly elections.
The demand was raised when the Congress leader visited the mutt and paid homage at the samadhi of Sree Narayana Guru at Sivagiri.
This marked the second consecutive day of Rahul Gandhi’s participation in programmes associated with the Sivagiri Mutt.
On the previous day, he attended the centenary celebrations of the Guru-Gandhi Samagam held in Kollam.
Following that event, he visited the mutt on Saturday morning. Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by K. C. Venugopal, AICC general secretary and MP, and Adoor Prakash, UDF convenor, among others.
The leaders first visited the Mahasamadhi of Sree Narayana Guru and offered floral tributes.
The Congress leader was received by Swami Sachchidananda, president of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust.
After paying respects at the samadhi, Rahul Gandhi visited the Vaidika Mutt, the place where Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore had earlier come to meet Sree Narayana Guru.
He later visited the Sarada Mutt within the Sivagiri complex.
Subsequently, Rahul Gandhi held discussions with the swamis of Sivagiri Mutt at the guest house.
During this interaction, the mutt formally submitted a written request seeking adequate representation for backward communities in the upcoming Assembly elections.
According to Swami Sachchidananda, the mutt specifically demanded that candidates from backward communities be allotted constituencies where victory prospects are strong.
Rahul Gandhi reportedly responded that the request would be examined.
The visit of a key Congress leader to Sivagiri assumes significance in the backdrop of the approaching Assembly elections.
The programme in Kollam was jointly organised by the Sivagiri Mutt and the Rajiv Gandhi Study and Research Centre of the KPCC.
Political observers view Rahul Gandhi’s visit as part of the Congress party’s broader effort to strengthen ties with the Ezhava community through the Sivagiri Mutt ahead of the elections.
The Hindu Ezhava community in Kerala is the single largest community, edging out the Hindu Nairs to second place.
Out of the 22 sitting Congress legislators, there is only one MLA who belongs to the Ezhava community, and hence this written request from the mutt assumes significance.
–IANS
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