Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], July 19 (ANI): Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) State Secretary VK Sanoj strongly criticised Health Minister K Muraleedharan's announcement that Hridayapoorvam, DYFI's free meal distribution programme that has been functioning for years in government hospitals across Keralam, would be discontinued, calling the decision 'inhumane' and 'highly condemnable.'

In a statement, Sanoj said Hridayapoorvam was not merely a programme for distributing food packets but a humanitarian initiative that embodied the ideals of compassion and fraternity advocated by Sree Narayana Guru. He said the programme had been providing meals collected with the support of households to patients and bystanders spending days in hospitals, offering relief to those in need.

He described the initiative as a people's movement that had touched the lives of thousands beyond political and organisational affiliations.

Responding to the government's proposal to introduce community kitchens in hospitals, Sanoj said DYFI did not oppose strengthening such a system. However, he questioned the urgency of discontinuing the existing public-supported initiative before the proposed mechanism becomes fully operational, saying it naturally raises doubts.

Sanoj alleged that the campaign against Hridayapoorvam had long been politically motivated. He claimed that the programme's acceptance across political lines and the recognition it had received at national and international levels had unsettled some sections.

Sanoj asserted that DYFI would continue the Hridayapoorvam programme until the government ensures that patients and their bystanders receive uninterrupted and reliable food through an official mechanism.

'People will recognise any attempt to bring politics before the hunger of the needy,' he said, adding, 'Hridayapoorvam will continue because we do not mix politics with hunger.' (ANI)