organiser_750 A scathing attack on the southern state of Kerala by the Organiser, mouthpiece of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—the Hindu ideological base of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—appears to be based on claims that are clearly disputed by facts. The Organiser article, Kerala: God’s Own Country or Godless Country, by M Surendra Nathan, a Mumbai-based lawyer and lecturer, was based on the protest by the Kerala government against the police raid on Kerala Bhavan in New Delhi on the suspicion of serving beef in the canteen. The article used a number of “facts” to establish that Kerala was “godless”.
FactChecker
looked at eight claims, and here is what we found: 1) Kerala is Bharat’s “cent percent” literate state False: Kerala has never claimed complete (100%) literacy. Kerala’s literacy rate is 93.91%, against the national average of 72.99%, according to Census 2011. Tripura has fast moved up the literacy chart and is now the most literate state in the country at 94.65%, according to this
report
in The Hindu. 2) Kerala has a “history of the highest number of political murders” False: Andhra Pradesh topped the list with 11 political murders in 2014, according to data from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Andhra Pradesh is followed by West Bengal (10), Kerala (6) and Telangana. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra reported more violent crimes with 41,889 cases, 34,277 cases and 32,574 cases, respectively, NCRB
data
show. The highest rate of violent crime (number of violent crimes per 100,000 population) was reported in Delhi (92.5), followed by Assam (45.9) and Arunachal Pradesh (40.6). 3) Kerala has the highest suicide rate compared with “the rest of Bharateeya states” False: Maharashtra reported the maximum number of suicides (16,307) in 2014, according to this NCRB
report
, Accidents Deaths & Suicides In India, 2014. Maharashtra was followed by Tamil Nadu (16,122), West Bengal (14,310), Telangana (9,623) and Madhya Pradesh (9,039). Kerala reported 8,446 suicides in 2014. Puducherry reported the highest rate of suicide (number of suicides per 100,000 population) at 40.4, followed by Sikkim (38.4), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (28.9), Telangana (26.5) and Kerala (23.9).
4) Kerala has India’s highest divorce rate False: Maharashtra reported the highest number of divorces, according to this report. A Lok Sabha reply in 2013 said the government does not have data, and they were being collated. 5) Kerala has India’s highest per capita alcohol consumption amongst men True & False: Kerala has the highest per capita consumption, IndiaSpend had
reported
, using data from the state's Economic Survey. False, says this report by The Hindu. Andhra Pradesh had the highest per capita alcohol consumption followed by Bihar and Gujarat, based on consumption data from National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). 6) Kerala has “organised the highest number of strikes and hartals at the instance of the CPI-M cadres at the drop of a hat”
False: If the reference here is to industrial strikes, the claim is wrong, according to data from the state’s Economic Review 2013-14. Industrial disputes declined from 3,132 in 2009 to 2,019 in 2014. But is it true that disputes pending increased to 3,525 in 2014 from 2,770 in 2009. Workers affected due to the strike declined from 69,114 in 2000 to 5,261 in 2014, and those affected due to lock-outs from 833,535 to 355,506.
7) “
The unwritten law strictly enforced by threat and social excommunication in the district (Mallapuram) is that if at all any Muslim of the district wanted to sell his land it should be offered to only Muslims. Similarly if at all any of the remaining Hindus of the district wanted to sell his/her land it should be bought only by the Muslim. Anecdotal: If this is true—there is no associated data—other cities, such as Mumbai, have similar unwritten codes, where buildings, such as those inhabited by Saraswat Brahmins, for example,
do not allow non-vegetarians
to buy houses there. Some buildings do not allow non-Hindus to buy flats. 8)Kerala is the only state in the country which has a gory tradition of political annihilation, popularly known as the game of toppling of governments”. False: Kerala's politics was driven to the brink by the Congress, which overthrew a legally elected communist government in 1959. The central government used its power to dismiss a state government (Article 356 of the constitution), citing internal dissent (
vimochana samara or
freedom struggle) launched by Congress leaders to free Kerala of communism. The role of the church and other religious organisations in toppling the first democratically elected communist government is still being debated. References: 1) Census data on literacy http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/data_files/india/Final_PPT_2011_chapter6.pdf 2) Kerala Economic Review Literacy Rate
http://spb.kerala.gov.in/images/er/er14/Chapter1/Appendix/1-1.pdf
3) The Hindu report http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/tripura-beats-kerala-in-literacy-chart/article5107261.ece 4) Political Murders NCRB Crime Report 2014 http://ncrb.gov.in/cii-2014/Table%203.2.pdf http://ncrb.gov.in/cii-2014/Table%203.1.pdf 5) Suicide Data http://ncrb.gov.in/ADSI2014/chapter-2%20suicides.pdf
6) Alcohol consumption http://www.indiaspend.com/states/extreme-state-kerala-42301 http://www.indiaspend.com/states/the-amazing-jekyll-hyde-story-of-indias-state-owned-liquor-barons-45169 http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/blogs/blog-datadelve/article6344654.ece 7) Industrial strike http://spb.kerala.gov.in/images/er/er14/Chapter3/Appendix/3-56.pdf 8) Kerala Economic Review http://spb.kerala.gov.in/