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Scathing criticisms by the Nair Service Society (NSS), an outfit of Kerala’s Hindu upper caste Nairs, against Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan and the Left’s intolerant and violent response have disturbed the peaceful post-poll political atmosphere of Kerala.
The Congress was quick to come to the defence of the NSS, which revealed the other day that it had taken an anti-Left in the April 13 polls despite its declared neutral stand, while various CPI(M) outfits held demonstrations against the community organisation all over Kerala. There were also reports of attacks on several offices of the NSS.
G Sukumaran Nair, the outspoken acting general secretary of the NSS, had on Tuesday unleashed a scathing attack against Achuthanandan, calling him even an “uncivilised guy”. He also claimed that the NSS had relinquished its declared stand of keeping equal distance from both the main coalitions in elections in the April 13 polls out of hatred for Achuthanandan.
“We gave up the equidistance policy in this election - not because of any objections to the LDF but because we thought Achuthanandan, an uncivilised, undemocratic guy, who would do any dirty thing would become Chief Minister if the LDF won,” he said. Achuthanandan belongs to lower caste Ezhava community of Hindus.
The Left responded to the statement violently. Within 12 hours of Nair’s statement, at least three branch offices of the NSS in Alappuzha district came under attack. Pro-Achuthanandan CPI(M) activists held protest demonstrations across Kerala and effigies of Sukumaran Nair were burnt in many places. In some centres, the police had to post personnel to guard NSS offices.
Achuthanandan said on Wednesday evening that he would not comment on statements made by people like Sukumaran Nair, who was dependent on corrupt politicians like former Minister and Congress ally R Balakrishna Pillai. The Supreme Court had sent Pillai, a director board member of the NSS, to prison on February 18 for corruption.
The first CPI (M) leader to respond to Nair’s comments was Politbureau member and State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who said on Wednesday morning,” We have always known that the equi-distance policy of the NSS has been eyewash. However, it is good that they have made this clear themselves.”
Kodiyeri said, “The language used by the NSS leader to criticise a person adorning the Chief Minister’s chair was uncivilised. NSS itself should examine whether this was ethical,” adding that people should show maturity to respect those sitting in respectable positions. State BJP president V Muraleedharan said Nair should have avoided making such a harsh comment.
State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala said that the violent response to the NSS leader’s comment revealed the CPI(M)’s fascist character while Opposition leader Oommen Chandy, his rival in the race for the post of Chief Minister if the UDF won the election, termed the violent Marxist reaction as “unfortunate”.
“If the CPI(M) is reacting violently because NSS had supported the Congress-led UDF, it would have no takers in Kerala,” Chennithala said. Chandy met NSS leaders at their headquarters in Perunna, Kottayam and asked the Kottayam district committee of the Congress to pass a resolution against CPI(M) attack on NSS offices.
Observers are of the opinion that the NSS leader’s attack on Achuthanandan was an indirect declaration of the outfit’s support to Chennithala, himself a Nair, in his competition with Chandy for the post of Chief Minister in the case of a UDF poll victory.
The Congress was quick to come to the defence of the NSS, which revealed the other day that it had taken an anti-Left in the April 13 polls despite its declared neutral stand, while various CPI(M) outfits held demonstrations against the community organisation all over Kerala. There were also reports of attacks on several offices of the NSS.
G Sukumaran Nair, the outspoken acting general secretary of the NSS, had on Tuesday unleashed a scathing attack against Achuthanandan, calling him even an “uncivilised guy”. He also claimed that the NSS had relinquished its declared stand of keeping equal distance from both the main coalitions in elections in the April 13 polls out of hatred for Achuthanandan.
“We gave up the equidistance policy in this election - not because of any objections to the LDF but because we thought Achuthanandan, an uncivilised, undemocratic guy, who would do any dirty thing would become Chief Minister if the LDF won,” he said. Achuthanandan belongs to lower caste Ezhava community of Hindus.
The Left responded to the statement violently. Within 12 hours of Nair’s statement, at least three branch offices of the NSS in Alappuzha district came under attack. Pro-Achuthanandan CPI(M) activists held protest demonstrations across Kerala and effigies of Sukumaran Nair were burnt in many places. In some centres, the police had to post personnel to guard NSS offices.
Achuthanandan said on Wednesday evening that he would not comment on statements made by people like Sukumaran Nair, who was dependent on corrupt politicians like former Minister and Congress ally R Balakrishna Pillai. The Supreme Court had sent Pillai, a director board member of the NSS, to prison on February 18 for corruption.
The first CPI (M) leader to respond to Nair’s comments was Politbureau member and State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who said on Wednesday morning,” We have always known that the equi-distance policy of the NSS has been eyewash. However, it is good that they have made this clear themselves.”
Kodiyeri said, “The language used by the NSS leader to criticise a person adorning the Chief Minister’s chair was uncivilised. NSS itself should examine whether this was ethical,” adding that people should show maturity to respect those sitting in respectable positions. State BJP president V Muraleedharan said Nair should have avoided making such a harsh comment.
State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala said that the violent response to the NSS leader’s comment revealed the CPI(M)’s fascist character while Opposition leader Oommen Chandy, his rival in the race for the post of Chief Minister if the UDF won the election, termed the violent Marxist reaction as “unfortunate”.
“If the CPI(M) is reacting violently because NSS had supported the Congress-led UDF, it would have no takers in Kerala,” Chennithala said. Chandy met NSS leaders at their headquarters in Perunna, Kottayam and asked the Kottayam district committee of the Congress to pass a resolution against CPI(M) attack on NSS offices.
Observers are of the opinion that the NSS leader’s attack on Achuthanandan was an indirect declaration of the outfit’s support to Chennithala, himself a Nair, in his competition with Chandy for the post of Chief Minister in the case of a UDF poll victory.
