Skip govt’s democracy meet, Ramesh tells invitees

Thiruvananthapuram: Former opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has urged invitees to the state govt's "International Conference on Development and Democracy" to reconsider their participation at the event, scheduled for Feb 15 in Thiruvananthapuram. In an open letter to experts in several fields, including Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, historian Romila Thapar, nutrition expert Dr Shakuntala Thilsted, NC president Farooq Abdullah and DMK MP Kanimozhi, Chennithala alleged that the event was an attempt by state govt to improve its image ahead of the elections, despite facing numerous corruption allegations and displaying fascist tendencies. Chennithala urged the invitees to refrain from attending the event, saying that their presence might be interpreted as an intellectual endorsement of the govt's anti-democratic policies.
Chennithala said he was writing not as a political partisan but as a concerned citizen and legislator who respected their intellectual contributions and commitment to democratic values. He expressed concern that their participation would be used to validate the govt's claims on development and democracy, overshadowing the harsh realities faced by the people of Kerala.Chennithala also alleged a decline in democratic culture in the state, claiming that dissent was increasingly being suppressed rather than addressed. As an example, he cited the controversial amendment to the Kerala Police Act in 2020, which was later withdrawn due to public outcry, as evidence of the govt's tendency to stifle freedom of expression.The letter also pointed out various corruption allegations against the govt, including those involving companies linked to the chief minister's family. Chennithala said organizing a global conference on democracy under such circumstances undermined the govt's credibility.He further mentioned the financial fraud in the cooperative sector, political misuse of power and the erosion of public trust in law enforcement, citing allegations of bias and secret meetings with right-wing groups. These developments, he said, threatened Kerala's secular political culture.Chennithala also said that withdrawing from the event would better align with the invitees' lifelong commitment to democratic values and integrity.