Amid
speculations on strains in NSS-SNDP unity, Nair Service Society (NSS) General
Secretary G Sukumaran Nair has called for vigil in preserving the unity and
SNDP General Secretary Vellappally Natesan assured that SNDP won’t retract from
its agenda of Hindu unity in Kerala.
Speaking at
NSS headquarters at Perunna in Changanassery on August 28, 2009, Nair said he
did not believe in media speculations that SNDP is slowly going away from its
publicly announced stand of unity of Hindus in Kerala. Nair recounted that this
stand was taken to protect the interest of Hindus in Kerala. Nair further added
that if any section of Hindus have developed such a doubt SNDP leadership
should take steps to remove it.
Nair further
added that despite unity on issues affecting Hindus in Kerala individual organizations
of Hindu castes are free to take their own stand in relations with political
parties and that won’t affect unity. So NSS has no complaint on SNDP’s
political stand, added Sukumaran Nair.
He said reports of strains in the unity are totally baseless and added that if
he felt some of the acts of SNDP are affecting unity he won’t hesitate to point
it out.
Immediately
responding to Sukumaran Nair’s statement Vellappally said SNDP won’t dilute its
stand of unity of Hindus in Kerala ranging from
Tribals to Brahmins. Nair-Ezhava unity is a reality and a step towards
Hindu unity and it stands. If there are any misunderstandings SNDP would solve
it through discussions with NSS, clarified Vellappally. Vellappally said a
section of media was distorting statements of NSS and SNDP leaders and
spreading rumours.
Need for clarification
NSS and SNDP
had to issue clarification because there had been reports that present Congress
lead United Democratic Front had tried to woo SNDP leadership by offering
permission to SNDP to start more government aided educational institutions.
Sections of media said Muslim League leader and Kerala’s industries minister P
K Kunhalikkutty had called on Vellappally and offered freebies to SNDP. Some of
the reports also said SNDP had watered down criticism against Kerala chief
minister Oommen Chandy who is now in a predicament following allegations
against the involvement of his office in a multi crore Solar Panel scam.
Nair-Ezhava
unity (Unity of two of the biggest Hindu castes in Kerala which constitute more
than 80 % of Hindu population in Kerala) had been mooted in 1950s itself and
several attempts had been made earlier. However this failed to last and the
latest attempt was made by G Sukumaran Nair and Vellappally in 2012 June. Nair
took charge as NSS general secretary just before that. Nair-Ezhava unity will
create the most powerful social group in Kerala and minority communities are
apprehensive of the outcome of such a move. Political parties like Congress and
CPM are also wary of Hindu unity. They fear it will eventually help BJP and
Hindutva organizations in Kerala.
Taking forward NSS-SNDP unity
Public
assurances by Nair and Vellappally on Nair-Ezhava unity prove one thing. There
had been attempts from some quarters to break the unity. It means both organizations
need to establish some kind of coordination system to discuss with each other
periodically issues affecting Hindus in Kerala. Speculation of strains in
Nair-Ezhava unity surface because NSS and SNDP failed to take forward unity to
new areas and failed to put up a show of public unity.
Hindu unity
in Kerala won’t come if NSS and SNDP just start a unity movement and later go
slow on it. They need to come up with joint action programmes or else the unity
would slowly wither away, especially when powerful groups with money and
influence want to destroy it.
