Kerala: New political party launched

The first objective of the new party would be to demand reservation for those coming in below poverty line category of the communities not covered by reservation.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 15: A new political party aimed at bringing together all communities which were not covered by reservation in Kerala was announced on Monday. The name and flag of the party would be announced soon after getting the necessary approvals from the Election Commission, members of Kerala Social Justice Forum told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Forum has been launched as a first step towards the formation of the party. An adhoc committee was formed with Manjery Bhaskara Pillai, who heads over 100 Malabar Nair Samajam Karayogams in north Kerala, as patron, K S R Menon as President and Konni Gopakumar and Mallelil Sreedharan Nair as general secretary and treasurer respectively, they said.

The first objective of the new party would be to demand reservation for those coming in below poverty line category of the communities not covered by reservation, Menon said. He, however, clarified that they did not oppose the reservation given to other groups currently. Ensure social justice, end caste discrimination and protecting the environment would be some of the other objectives of the new party, he said.

PTI