Nation Belongs To All, Religion Is A Private Affair: Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan

Amid the nation-wide frenzy over the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Kerala Chief Minister said India belongs to all as a nation and religion is a private affair.

Mr Vijayan has also said Secularism is the soul of the Democratic Republic of India and it has been part of our identity as a nation right from the days of our national movement.

“Those belong to different faiths and those who were not part of any religion had taken active part in our freedom struggle. This nation belongs to all people and all sections of Indian society in equal measure,” he added.

“As those who have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution of India, we owe it to ensure that every person within our territories enjoys this right in equal measure. At the same time, we cannot be promoting one religion above all others, or demean one religion beneath every other,” he said.

The Chief Minister also cited the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, reminding his perspectives on the separation of religion from the state. “We even had a tradition of maintaining that tradition of state separation from religion,” he said. M

r Vijayan also slammed the celebration of religious events as a state event and urged people to uphold their constitutional responsibilities. However, the consecration of the Ram temple was done today with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing the rituals.

The Chief Minister”s message was shared by the CPIM official X handle

Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan on Ram Temple Inauguration.. pic.twitter.com/6CdsnilLXj

— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) January 22, 2024