CHENNAI: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam has welcomed the Kerala government's initiative to construct a memorial for Ayya Vaikundar, recalling his pioneering role in social reform movements in the region.
In a statement issued on Tuesday (March 3), Shanmugam said Kanniyakumari district was once part of the erstwhile Travancore province, where oppressed and backward communities had faced severe caste discrimination. It was in this context that Swami Vivekananda had described the region as a "land of lunatics", he noted.
Against such entrenched social injustices, Ayya Vaikundar had spearheaded significant reform movements that later served as a precursor to Kerala's progressive social transformation, he said. Vaikundar had waged an ideological struggle against regressive practices such as untouchability, unapproachability and even the denial of visibility to certain communities.
To commemorate his contributions to social reform and to remind the present generation of the struggles endured in the past, the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala had, in its previous Budget, announced the construction of a memorial in his honour. Continuing that initiative, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan laid the foundation stone for the memorial on February 28, 2026.
The State CPM leader has welcomed and appreciated the Kerala government's efforts to carry forward the legacy of social reform. He also expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Left Democratic Front government for the initiative.