Kerala: DYFI Organises Secular Rural Games, Thwarts Right Wing Attempts at Sports Event for Hindus

‘Secular Rural Games’ could be a new term for many, but for the people of Manjeshwar in Kerala’s Kasaragod district. The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) organised one such event on July 20 in the Paivalike grama panchayat.

The previous day saw an attempt by a right-wing backed Veera Kesari Club to hold an exclusive sports event allegedly for Hindus. This is the third time the Sangh Parivar groups, under the guise of sports clubs, are attempting to mix religion into sports.

The DYFI strongly condemned the repeated attempts of the fringe groups in the district and had announced to continue to thwart the polarisation attempts. The sports event held by the DYFI Manjeswaram block witnessed enthusiastic participation from different sections of the population.

The Manjeswaram assembly constituency is one of the strongholds of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which finished second in the last two assembly elections. The conduct of such sports events is considered to be a ploy to polarise the population for electoral gains.

SECULAR SPORTS FEST HELD

The conduct of sports events in the paddy fields after the harvesting season during the monsoon is a regular affair in parts of the Kasaragod district. A number of sports and arts clubs take the lead in organising such rural games, which usually attract different sections of the population without any bias.

The Veera Kesari Club organised one such event in the Balur area of Paivalike panchayat with a special invitation to the Hindus on the posters. “A warm welcome to Hindus,” the poster put up read.

The DYFI members immediately marched to the paddy fields where the events were held and protested, demanding the club permit people from all religions to participate, which was conceded after the police intervened. The police have filed a case under IPC 153 against the Veera Kesari Club for organising the event exclusively for Hindus.

“The DYFI immediately called for a secular sports meet in the same paddy fields within the next two days. Scores of people from all religions participated with enthusiasm, rejecting the divisive policies of the right-wing groups”, Rejeesh Vellat, Kasaragod district secretary of DYFI told NewsClick.

The rural games held included Kabaddi, volleyball and tug off war among others for both men and women.

The organisers downplayed the contents of the posters, but the DYFI has accused the right wing clubs of mooting the idea of conducting sports for Hindus alone.

‘WILL FIGHT AGAINST RIGHT WING POLARISATION’

The Manjeswaram block, a part of the Manjeswaram assembly constituency in Kasaragod, shares its border with the state of Karnataka. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is active in the district, with around 37% Muslim population.

The right-wing backed clubs have repeatedly attempted to mix religion and sports on two previous occasions. They managed to conduct a kabaddi tournament before it came to light.

“These clubs in 2018 planned for a sports meet only for Hindus. To counter these divisive attempts, the DYFI held secular cricket tournaments across the state. We will ensure the defeat of saffronisation of the playgrounds”, Vellat said.

Manjeswaram Assembly constituency is one of the few seats on which the BJP pinned hopes in the 2021 assembly elections. But, victory has remained elusive despite some close contests.

“The desperation of the right-wing forces in polarising the population is for cheap electoral gains. They are repeatedly trying to create communal tensions. The DYFI will fight against such forces to ensure the unity of the people in a secular state like Kerala”, Vellat said.

The divisive policies of the Sangh Parivar are well known, but the attempts to polarise sports have shocked many. The DYFI has announced to hold a series of programs against the polarisation attempts of the right-wing organisations.