Attempts to subvert Kerala's unity, secularism should be nipped in bud: CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that the unity, secular mindset and scientific thinking of the people of the state has made it an example to be followed and that attempts to subvert these aspects should be nipped in the bud.

Vijayan, in his speech after hoisting the national flag on the occasion of 77th Independence Day celebration, said that the freedom earned by us would become meaningful only if attempts to change the unity, secularism and scientific temper of the people are thwarted.

"Let us make this 77th Independence Day celebration meaningful by pledging to strengthen our freedom, unity, democracy, secularism and scientific thinking," he said in his speech.

Vijayan also said that as the nation celebrates its 77th Independence Day instances of caste and ethnic divisions have cast a shadow over the republic and injured its secular nature. Besides that, even federal values have been subverted, he claimed.

In such a situation, every citizen ought to renew their pledge to preserve the nation's secular character and its federal values, he urged.

The Chief Minister in his speech also referred to the achievements of the state in various sectors like Information Technology, setting up new enterprises, infrastructure and welfare, in the past seven years.

Vijayan noted that the state was witnessing financial growth and development since 2016 as its internal production has almost doubled, the per capita income has increased by around 54 per cent and over 1,000 projects worth close to Rs 81,000 crore have been initiated.

In addition to working to improve basic infrastructure, the state was also intervening in the welfare sector which was evidenced by the over 4 lakh homes provided under the Life Mission to the homeless, he claimed in his speech.

Vijayan also claimed that the government hopes to eradicate extreme poverty in the state by 2025 and for that it has launched several initiatives, the first state in the country to do so.

"The idea is to turn Kerala into a world-class state similar to the developed and middle-income nations by the time India celebrates its 100th anniversary of independence," he contended.

Earlier in the day, Vijayan also posted his greetings on the occasion on the social media platform X, formely known as Twitter.

"Our freedom movement wasn't just about breaking chains; it was about forging a diverse and inclusive India. "On this #IndependenceDay, let's uphold our nation's secular and democratic ideals, and ensure these values remain at the core of our nationhood. Happy Independence Day!" Vijayan tweeted.

The Chief Minister also put up an Independence Day message on Facebook in which he said that India's freedom from colonial rule was achieved through the strong united struggle by many patriots, including brave martyrs, regardless of caste, religion, language and dress.

He said that India's constitutional democracy was a product of this freedom struggle and the anti-imperial democratic views of the independence movement were the ideas that shaped the country.

Vijayan said that both the federal system and linguistic states arose out of the values imparted by the national freedom movement which was based on the firm belief that the cornerstone of independent India would be secularism.

"But today, there is a situation where caste and ethnic divisions have cast a dark shadow over the republic in such a way as to injure secularism. Federal principles are also largely subverted.

"In this context, each of us is duty bound to preserve the secular character of the country and protect the federal values. We need to renew this pledge on the 77th Independence Day," he added.