Kamal Haasan hails Kerala CM for appointing non-Brahmin priests at Travancore Devaswom Board

Kamal Haasan has welcomed the appointment of non-Brahmin priests by the Travancore Devaswom Board in Kerala.

He has praised Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for the historic development in God's Own Country, and said social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy's dream has come true.

Kamal Haasan wrote on Twitter: "Bravo Travancore Dewasom board.Salute to Kerala CM Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan.4 appointing 36 non-Brahmin priests. Periar's dream realized. [sic]"

This is the second instance in recent times when Kamal Haasan has praised Vijayan. He had recently appreciated the implementation of certain policies by the state government.

"Look at the statistics of Kerala, look at where the state stands...we get a 50th of the funds compared to any Western country, but it still stands up to those countries," Kamal Haasan was quoted as saying after meeting Vijayan last month.

The state government created the recruitment board and followed the reservation norm of 32 percent for SC/ST and OBC in government staff for the temple. The newly-formed body was assigned the task of hiring people based on written tests and face-to-face interviews.

In a landmark move, the Travancore Devaswom (Temple) Recruitment Board appointed six Dalit priests along with 56 members comprising of different communities. The list features 26 Brahmins, whereas 36 people — including the Dalits — belong to the non-Brahmin communities.

While non-Brahmins have been recruited by the board in the past, this is the first time a Dalit has been selected for the job.

The first Dalit appointed by the Travancore Devaswom Board is 22-year old Yedu Krishna from Thrissur district.