Thousands turn up for 'brotherhood rally' in Kerala

They took the pledge in the name of God not to "harm anybody with words, deeds or attitude" and that they would demand nothing that they do not deserve from the society and they would actively participate in the nation-building process.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who inaugurated the public meeting held in the sprawling Chandrasekharan Nair stadium in the heart of the city, said the Yatra had given out a message that such movement could function as an engine of change in the society despite idealogical differences.
"The Musliyar who preaches peace and harmony has set an example for the whole world by coming out to ensure peaceful existence of all religious communities," Chandy said. "In a democracy you need to adopt such peaceful methods to spread the message and Kerala needs an atmosphere where violence has no place.” Ramesh Chennithala, chief of the Congress party that leads the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), said the Yatra should be remembered for ever since it was targeted against none and it was deep-rooted in Islamic principle of love while Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed said the huge gathering underlines the overwhelming support that it received.
Delivering his message, the Musliyar said the march was conducted to reminisce the values of renaissance and social conditions that shaped the lives of Keralites.
During the tour, it also tried to explore if local collaborations on the matters of development can be structured irrespective of political and religious affiliations.
"The warmth with which we were received wherever we went during the Yatra shows the attitude of the Kerala society to its Muslim minority," he said. "The believers should participate actively in strengthening the civil society and take up issues of concern for all."
He clarified that his group did not have any political ambitions but it would continue to engage in activities that would empower members of the community and encourage them to play a constructive role through normal political interventions.
"We are ideologically against religious groups transforming themselves into political parties. But we have a clear idea about the future of the country as well as its Muslims and we would cooperate with those who agree with us on them," he said. “A larger society is there which wants to stick to secular way of life and maintain communal harmony. Our hope lies with them.”
His followers started pouring in to the state capital right from the morning and the city turned into a sea of humanity by the evening. The organizers had also chartered a special train from the northern part of the state where the scholar's group is headquartered.
Some 25,000 highly disciplined volunteers of the Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SSF) took out a march from the East Fort in the southern part of the city to the venue ahead of the function. The volunteers clad in white and green uniform also took over traffic control along the procession as the police had regulated other vehicles entering the city after 2.30 pm.
Syed Abdul Rahman Al Bukhary, president of the organization, presided over the function. Transport Minister VS Sivakumar, KE Ismail MP, MLAs K Muraleedharan, Palode Ravi, Varkala Kahar; Major Archbishop Baselios Mar Clemis and Santhigiri Ashram organizing secretary Gururatnam Jnana Thapaswy and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader M Vijayakumar also addressed the valedictory function which went live on local television channels. The Yatra was kicked off from the northern town of Kasaragod on April 12 and the entourage consisted of 68 leaders of the SSF. It was accorded reception at 61 points where various political and religious leaders addressed the gathering along with the Musliar and other leaders of the group. The tour touched some 1000 villages across the state.