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Nair society to keep equal distance from all 3 parties in Kerala bypoll
The reaffirmation of its political stance comes after the outfit launched an offensive campaign against The Kerala Assembly speaker, AN Shamseer, and his party Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Influential community outfit Nair Service Society (NSS), which represents the Hindu Nair community in Kerala, will continue to maintain its equal distance approach towards all three political fronts namely CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming by-election in Puthuppally, a senior official said on Monday.
The reaffirmation of its political stance comes after the outfit launched an offensive campaign against The Kerala Assembly speaker, AN Shamseer, and his party Communist Party of India (Marxist) over his controversial comments about Hindu myths and Lord Ganesh. The NSS had sought the speaker’s public apology over his comments and organised prayer protests at several places in the state. A case was even registered against the NSS state vice-president for unlawful assembly through the protest.
General secretary, NSS, Sukumaran Nair, said,“The NSS will continue its stance of ‘samadooram’ or equidistance from all political parties in the Puthuppally bypoll too. In the last Assembly election, when I had said that people wanted a change, it was my personal opinion. The NSS has never released any circular asking its members to support a political party. We will continue that.”
“Candidates of all parties meet us and ask our blessings before elections. But we don’t publicise that,” he told the local media.
The comments come a day after CPI(M) candidate in Puthuppally, Jaick C Thomas, paid a visit to the NSS headquarters in Perunna. Thomas later praised the NSS as an institution holding aloft secular values.
Meanwhile, CPI (M) state secretary, MV Govindan, said, ‘Often when they [NSS] say equal distance, it’s not usually equal distance. But if they have said it, it’s good. The CPI (M) has no strife with the NSS.”
Thomas will contest against Chandy Oommen (Congress leader Oommen Chandy’s son) of the Congress and Ligin Lal from the BJP in the Puthuppally by-election, which is scheduled to be held on September 5. The bypoll was necessitated after the demise of veteran Congress leader Oommen Chandy on July 18. The votes counting will be conducted on September 8.
