Ganesh Kumar’s resignation: NSS refuses to be fooled by Congress

Nair Service Society’s firm stand that it does not have the responsibility of solving issues in UDF arising out of resignation of forest minister KB Ganesh Kumar on April , 2013 has sent a clear signal to Congress leadership in Kerala that it cannot be fooled anymore.

NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair minced no words when he said Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy and KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala are responsible for the present situation in UDF and it is for them to deal with it. He pointed out that the practice of approaching NSS whenever there is an issue and forgetting the help of NSS as soon as crisis is over won’t be accepted anymore.

According to a report in The Hindu, Sukumaran Nair was very clear. “Matters in the United Democratic Front (UDF) have worsened beyond repair. People have lost faith in the ruling front. The relation between NSS and UDF leadership too has chilled. We believe that the situation in the UDF is beyond repair,” Nair said curtly. It was negligence on the part of CM and KPCC president to intervene in Ganesh’s issue and resolve it that pushed things to this far, added Nair.

Congress plan to ride piggyback on NSS

Ever since the resignation of K B Ganesh Kumar, son of former Kerala minister and NSS director board member R Balakrishna Pillai belonging to Nair community, some of the Nair MLAs in the Congress were getting ready to become ministers on the pretext that a NSS would demand that a Nair MLA be made minister in place of Ganesh and so one among them be made minister. As Kerala Congress (B) to which Ganesh belongs does not have any other MLA, Congress can legitimately usurp the seat.

Sukumaran nair rejected such reports saying that NSS is not interested in the selection of successor of Ganesh. Cosmetic changes in UDF won’t do any good, he is reported to have said.

The ploy behind the news reports that NSS would demand a Nair minister in place of Ganesh was to enable Congress takeover a portfolio of a UDF constituent in the pretext of NSS demand. Any bad repercussion from the act could be put on the shoulders of NSS while benefits from getting a portfolio could be enjoyed by Congress. This had been a time tested plan of Congress leadership ever since NSS disbanded its political party NDP.

Many Congress leaders had convinced Congress high command earlier to make them MLAs, MPs and ministers in Kerala and centre on the pretext that giving them positions is essential to keep NSS in good spirits and ensure Congress’ victory in Kerala. NSS leadership had fallen easy prey to the political manipulations of these modern Chanakyas. Such Congress ministers never did anything for the general welfare of Nairs. Their help to NSS was cleverly confined to giving some minor favours to NSS leaders individually. Once they got the position, these leaders tried to play secular card and would distance themselves from genuine demands of Hindu Nairs.

By discarding overtures of Congress, Sukumaran Nair has become the first general secretary of NSS in recent times to call a spade a spade and risk criticisms from Christian and Muslim community leaders in Kerala for standing up for the genuine demands of Nairs.

NSS mediation and political conspiracy

In the issue of solving issues between Ganesh and his father, Sukumaran Nair said he had intervened in the issue twice and then realized that Ganesh is getting outside political support to scuttle the peace initiative. Realising this I backed out, said Nair.

Nair’s words have a major significance. Outside groups with vested interests have succeeded in splitting the powerful Nair family of Balakrishna Pillai which upholds the secular tradition of Kerala Congress in Kerala. Kerala Congress, a non Congress regional Party in Kerala had equal participation of Hindu Nairs and Syrian Christians. There had been efforts to sideline Pillai in Kerala Congress and he himself had said it. Now the effort is to totally destroy Kerala Congress (B) and only Christian dominated Kerala Congress (Mani group) will be in picture in future. Ganesh had credentials of a minister with integrity and he as a forest minister had taken strong steps to evict encroachers from Nelliampathy forests (who mostly belong to one minority community). This had irked many people and no wonder communal and vested interest groups have ganged up and successfully split his family and ousted him from ministry.