Ezhavas, Nairs account for 41% of Kerala govt. staff

Members of the Ezhava and Nair communities, the two major Hindu communities of Kerala, together account for about 41% of the government employees in the State, with the former emerging as the single largest community in the service. The caste data on employment, prepared by the Kerala State Commission for Backward Classes, reveal that 1,15,075 Ezhava and 1,08,012 Nair community members are employed in government service. The representation of Muslims and Christians is 73,774 and 73,713 respectively. The total number of government employees stands at 5,45,413.

Members of the Ezhava and Nair communities, the two major Hindu communities of Kerala, together account for about 41% of the government employees in the State, with the former emerging as the single largest community in the service.

The caste data on employment, prepared by the Kerala State Commission for Backward Classes, reveal that 1,15,075 Ezhava and 1,08,012 Nair community members are employed in government service. The representation of Muslims and Christians is 73,774 and 73,713 respectively. The total number of government employees stands at 5,45,413.

Ezhavas account for nearly 23% of Kerala’s population, Muslims 26%, Christians 18% and Nairs 15%.

The data attain significance in the wake of allegations that the minority communities stand to gain from the ‘appeasement policies’ pursued by the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front.

Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan recently stirred up a controversy by stating that both fronts are appeasing the minorities. He also stated that the Ezhava community had abandoned the LDF in the Lok Sabha elections in protest against the appeasement of the minorities.

The statement, which invited sharp criticisms from various Muslim organisations, led to the resignation of Hussain Madavoor, leader of the Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen, from the post of vice-chairperson of the Navodhana Samrakshana Samithi (Renaissance Protection Forum), a collective of various religious organisations supported by the State government, which has Mr. Natesan as its chairperson.

The members of Other Backward Classes, which include the Ezhavas, Muslims, Viswakarmas, Latin and Anglo-Indians, among others, together account for 2,85,335 jobs. The number of employees in the general category is found to be 1,96,837, which is out of the purview of any caste-based reservation.