Ezhava leader Vellappally Natesan, who is currently on an RSS-backed yatra to Thiruvananthapuram before the launch of his proposed political party of the ‘majority religion’, has come under fire for trying to stoke communal animosity.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Monday said the government had taken Natesan’s inflammatory comments at public meetings along the route of his march and is considering prosecuting him.

Earlier, several leaders of both the Opposition and ruling parties sharply criticised Natesan. CPI(M) State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Congress State President VM Sudheeran, and Leader of Opposition VS Achuthanandan have urged the government to prosecute Natesan for fomenting communal trouble.

At the meetings, Natesan, who is the General Secretary of the Ezhava outfit Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, made it a point to attack Muslims and Christians. His comment that the State government’s decision to pay solatium to the family of Kozhikode autorickshaw driver Noushad – who died while trying to save two people from a manhole – was because he was a Muslim has earned Natesan widespread criticism. He has been hauled over the coal on the social media as well as on TV talk shows.

Natesan’s remark came hardly a week after the driver’s death. The 32-year-old had, while waiting for a cup of tea at a roadside tea shop at Kozhikode, jumped into a manhole seeing two workers falling unconscious. The two migrant workers from Andhra Pradesh had breathed in the highly toxic gases emanating from the manhole. Noushad, while trying to lift the two out, also fell unconscious. All the three died in a short time.

Noushad’s sacrifice earned him touching tributes from the residents of Kozhikode, from people across the State and Keralites working abroad. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had even travelled to Kozhikode to console the family. The government announced ₹5 lakh to the family (₹1 lakh each to the families of the manhole workers). However, Natesan’s response to the aid announcement was: “It’s because he was a Muslim.” He also joked that he would like to die as a Muslim.

Condemning Natesan’s remark, Chandy said no one should have made such a remark against a person who made such a sacrifice. KPCC chief VM Sudheeran said Natesan was mad with communal hatred and that he was the biggest communal bigot Kerala had seen. DYFI leader TV Rajesh said Natesan was speaking VHP leader Pravin Togadia’s language.

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