Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress party, which had announced its Ramayana month observance with much fanfare, has called off the programme. The cultural wing of KPCC, Vichar Vibhag, was all set to conduct a series of seminars on the theme 'Ramayana is Ours' from July 17, the first day of the Karkidakam month. The idea, it was officially stated, was to demystify the text, and make it more democratic.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala was supposed to inaugurate the event, and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was to be the main speaker. However, the decision to observe the Ramayana month invited scathing criticism from senior Congress leaders like K Muraleedharan. "It is not right to use gods to secure some extra four or five votes. This is not the correct way to counter the BJP," he had said. He also said that no decision was taken at the political affairs committee of the party or the KPCC executive committee to observe the Ramayana month. Close on the heels of Murali's criticism, a slew of leaders including V M Sudheeran, Pandalam Sudhakaran and Rajmohan Unnithan lashed out at the move.

Stung, the Vichar Vibhag has cancelled the programme. "Since the programme has created a lot of misunderstanding, we have decided to cancel the programme,” Vichar Vibhag chairman Dr Nedumudi Harikumar said on Sunday. However, Thrithala MLA V T Balram had come out openly in favour of the programme though he insisted it should not been seen as if the party was not observing Ramayana month.

He termed it as an attempt to fight the distorted propaganda of the Sangh Parivar. Talking to Onmanorama he said: “We are not going to observe Ramayana month. But Congress fights the BJP in all the states face to face and it blamed the former as anti-Hindu. So, our party has a political responsibility to convince the moderates among the Hindus in other states that out party is not anti-Hindu,” he said.

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