The Nair Service Society (NSS) has welcomed the LDF decision to drop the controversial Travancore Kochi Hindu Religious Institutions (Amendment) Bill, dubbing it a ‘victory for the Hindu community and an expression of political will of the Left Democratic Front.'
Speaking to The Hindu here on Saturday, NSS assistant secretary G. Sukumaran Nair said the organisation hoped that the government would take all steps to do away with corruption in Devaswoms. “We hope that the government would appoint god-fearing, capable and people of integrity to these posts,” he said.
Incidentally, NSS had not mentioned political affiliation, or lack of it, as a qualification for persons holding the office.
ADVERTISEMENT
The amendment had sought to increase the number of board members from three to the seven, including the president. It had also sought to bring in review powers for the government. The NSS had maintained that these two provisions would not stand legal and Constitutional scrutiny.
The NSS had taken a studied stance on the amendments, especially the provision of review powers, maintaining that it was a blatant breach of Constitutional rights of the Hindu community.
The organisation had stated that the power amounted to interference in the administration of the Hindu institutions and religious places.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to Mr. Nair, the decision was a victory for the government as it reflected the sentiments of the Hindu community as a whole. “It is also a victory for the NSS as we had taken a strong stand on the issue right from the beginning,” he said.
It was also a victory of the policy of equidistance that the NSS had been following in the past decade. “The NSS had taken a studied stance on issues like reservation, Devaswom and education. Our stand on the reservation issue had been vindicated by the Supreme Court time and again. Now, the LDF decision justifies our stand on Devaswom. We hope, the political leadership would come around on education issues too,” he said.