If the Nair Service Society (NSS) dabbles in politics, the fate met by the National Democratic Party (NDP) formed by the NSS in the 1970s will be repeated, CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said.
“The CPI(M) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government have given due consideration to all well-intentioned and practical issues raised by the NSS. That’s how a decision was taken to accord 10% reservation to the economically backward from the forward communities. This has been brought into effect in appointments to the Devaswom boards. We aren’t hostile to the NSS and their constructive criticism is always welcome. But their present stance smacks of a political position which a community organisation can do without,” Mr. Balakrishnan told The Hindu during an interaction.
The CPI(M) had a cordial relationship with community organisations such as the NSS and SNDP (Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam), but never had a truck with their political manifestations. The Socialist Republican Party (SRP) formed with the tacit support of the SNDP met the same fate as that of the NDP. The Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), another variant of the SRP, has self-destructively run into the stranglehold of the RSS, he said.
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He ruled out joining hands with the BDJS at any stage.
The LDF, he said, had not taken a provocative stance on Sabarimala, the Maradu flat issue or on the fracas between the Orthodox-Jacobite factions of the Malankara Church. “The government has not initiated any steps to send women to Sabarimala. We are not interested in that. Only, the government intervened to enforce law and order when some outfits sought to foment trouble. We don’t intend to turn Sabarimala into a conflict zone,” he said. As for the Maradu and Malankara cases, the government was constitutionally bound to implement the Supreme Court order.
The bypoll outcome in Pala, he said, was a pointer to people’s electoral preference, as five more constituencies were set for bypolls on October 21. The setback in the Lok Sabha elections was temporary. “There was a general feeling that only the Congress could take on the BJP nationally. But Pala outcome has proved that in Kerala, only the LDF provides a desirable alternative,” he said.
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The LDF had won at least once in all the constituencies going to bypolls. He said while the BJP and the Indian Union Muslim League were attempting communal polarisation, the contest in Manjeswaram was between the LDF and the UDF. “We are positive about all the five seats, as the development strides taken by the government and the way it met the challenges thrown by nature will see us through,” Mr. Balakrishnan said.