The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been of late cosying up to the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, the powerful organisation representing the backward class Ezhava community, did not lose the opportunity to take its agenda forward by deputing two of ministers to participate in functions organised by the SNDP connected to the birth anniversary of the late social reformer Sree Narayana Guru.
Union Minister for Food Processing Sadhvi Niranjan Jyothi, a backward class leader from Uttar Pradesh, called on SNDP general secretary Vellapalli Natesan at his residence at Kanichikulangara in Alapuzha. Later, the Sadhvi rebutted media reports that her courtesy call had political connotation. She said she had travelled to Kerala just to take part in the birth anniversary functions of a social reformer who led the struggle against untouchability.
In Thiruvananthapuram, Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent charge) Dr. Mahesh Sharma, who is said to have close links with the RSS leadership, send messages that indicated the NDA government’s line of thinking. He said the Union Government would formulate schemes to propagate the teachings of Sree Narayana Guru across the country and abroad. He was the Chief Guest at the 151st birth anniversary celebrations of the Guru at Chempazhanthi, the birth place of the social reformer 20 km from Thiruvananthapuram. The State leaders of the BJP accompanied the two leaders at the two venues.
The BJP ministers’ overtures evoked strong reactions, mainly from Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan, who took strong exception at the attempts to reduce Sree Narayana Guru as the god of Ezhavas. Mr. Natesan, in his reaction, alleged that Mr. Achuthanandan was a leader who displayed his caste propensities. He said he was in full agreement with Mr. Achuthanandan’s remarks about the Guru being considered as the Ezhavas’ God.
The BJP leadership has moved closer to Mr. Natesan, who recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi. This followed announcement about the SNDP floating a political party. The attempts of the BJP and SNDP to work out a working relationship have already triggered off a series of developments, triggering off gory clashes between the BJP and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) followers.
