Mahishasura represents great identity of Dalits: Jayan Malpe
Flower-laying program for Mahishasura held in Malpe
Udupi: The history of India reflects a conflict between Brahmins and Dalits, said Jayan Malpe. He emphasised that Mahishasura represents the great identity of Dalits while speaking at the flower-laying program for Mahishasura, organised by the Ambedkar Yuva Sena Udupi district unit at Saraswati Bayalu Theater, Malpe, on Sunday.
Jayan Malpe criticised the portrayal of Mahishasura in Indian mythology, asserting that the Puranas and epics have misled Dalits by depicting him as a demon. He argued that those who opposed Vedic doctrines were often labeled as demons in ancient texts. "Mahishasura is not a demon but a great savior," he stated.
Harish Salyan, the founder-president of Ambedkar Yuva Sena, highlighted that Vedic literature often portrayed figures like King Bali, Ravana, Narakasura, and Mahishasura in a negative light. He stressed the importance of rejecting traditional mythology and reinterpreting history to reflect the true identity of Dalits.
The program was attended by various Dalit leaders, including Bhagwan, Satish Kappettu, Prasad Malpe, Arun Salyan, Sadhu Chitpadi, Sushil Kumar, Raviraj Lakshminagar, Vasant Ambalapadi, Sadhakar Nergi, Yogesh Malpe, Suresh Thottam, Vinaya Balaramanagar, former Municipal Council vice-president Sandhya Tilakraj, Purnima Nanda, Pramila Harish, Sada V Pain Jayaraj, and Chitrakshi Kadike.
Ganesh Nergi, the President of Ambedkar Yuva Sena, Udupi District, stated that due to the enforcement of the Election Code of Conduct, the flower-laying program was held symbolically. "Next year, Mahishasura Dasara will be celebrated at the village levels across Udupi district," he added.
Deepak Kodavoor extended a warm welcome to the attendees, while Gunavanth Thottam delivered the vote of thanks.
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Prakash Karat to be coordinator of CPI(M)'s Politburo, Central Committee as interim measure
New Delhi, Sep 29: Senior CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat will be the coordinator of the party's Politburo and Central Committee as an interim arrangement until the 24th party Congress to be held in April next year, the Left party said on Sunday.
The decision comes in the wake of CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury's death on September 12 at the age of 72.
"The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), now in session in New Delhi, has decided that Comrade Prakash Karat will be the coordinator of the Polit Bureau and the Central Committee, as an interim arrangement until the 24th party Congress to be held in April 2025 at Madurai," the CPI(M) said in a statement.
"This decision was taken due to the sad and sudden demise of the sitting general secretary of the CPI(M), Comrade Sitaram Yechury," it added.
Karat, one of the seniormost leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was its general secretary from 2005 to 2015.
Karat was born on February 7, 1948 in Letpadan in present-day Myanmar, where his father, C P Nair, was employed with the Burma Railways and later, at the Burma Oil Pipeline Project.
He studied in the Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School in Chennai and later, went to the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom for a master's degree in politics. He became active in student politics at the university.
He returned to India and joined the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 1970 and also worked as an aide to veteran CPI(M) leader A K Gopalan.
One of the founders of the Students' Federation of India (SFI), Karat was elected as the third president of the JNU Students' Union. He also became the second president of the SFI between 1974 and 1979.
He was the secretary of the Delhi state committee of the CPI(M) from 1982 to 1985, was elected to the Central Committee of the party in 1985 and became a member of its Politburo in 1992.
One of the key faces of the party for decades, Karat was at the helm of the CPI(M) when it decided to withdraw support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre in 2008. The following years saw a decline in the strength of the Left in Parliament.
The CPI(M) had 43 MPs in the Lok Sabha in 2004, which came down to nine in 2014. As a part of the INDIA opposition bloc, the Left party won four seats in the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year.
