Thiruvananthapuram: A controversy has erupted over a poster of ‘Kerala padayatra’, a statewide march taken out by the president of the Kerala unit of the BJP, K Surendran, regarding a reference to Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

A poster of the march which listed the programmes in Kozhikode on February 20 stated Surendan would be having lunch with ‘SC/ST leaders’, attracting widespread condemnation. Critics alleged that highlighting an event where the BJP state president would be sharing food with Dalit leaders revealed the party’s upper-caste mindset.
In the poster, Surendran’s schedule was given as '01.00 pm: Lunch (With SC & ST leaders)'.

Congress leader and MP K Muraleedharan alleged that BJP had insulted Dalit leaders. “Anyone can meet, speak and have food with any person of their choice. However, specifically mentioning that you will share lunch with a SC/ST leader amounts to humiliating them,” he said.

“Displaying a notice which says that you will have food with a particular person is a bad practice. We cannot encourage such a culture,” said the Congress leader. “At the same time, you can meet SC/ST leaders and hear their grievances,” he added.

Meanwhile, BDJS, an alliance party of the BJP in the NDA (National Democratic Alliance), boycotted Surendran’s march, alleging that it was sidelined in the programme.