Kerala BJP comes to the aid of NSS after CPI-M attack

Thiruvananthapuram: The state unit of the BJP on Saturday slammed the CPI-M state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnana's attack on the Nair Service Society (NSS), the socio-cultural arm of the Hindu Nair community.

In a statement issued here, BJP state President P.S. Sreedharan Pillai asked the CPI-M not to threaten the NSS.

"Any organisation has the right to accept or reject an invitation for dialogue. The CPI-M should understand that the NSS has that right too. Today's statement from the CPI-M Secretary sounds like a third rate politician's threat and this does not augur well for the CPI-M, as his statement smacks of arrogance," said Pillai.

The Hindu Nair community, which forms a large portion of the Kerala population, has been unhappy with the way Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tried to implement the Sabarimala verdict of the Supreme Court allowing women of all age groups to enter the temple.

Matters came to a head after the NSS took part in the 'Ayyappa Jyothi' event but did not join the 'Women's Wall' event organised by the Vijayan government as part of its efforts to uphold the Renaissance Movement in the state.

Earlier this month, after a verbal attack between the NSS and CPI-M, the latter had expressed its desire to open a dialogue with the former, which was rejected.

Pillai came to the aid of the NSS, soon after Balakrishnan, who is currently on a political yatra, on Saturday, slammed the NSS and told its leader Sukumaran Nair that times have changed, while he continues to live in the past, when the arrogance of the upper caste was prevailing in Kerala.

"We the CPI-M, are not going to go after anyone. Gone are the days when the rule was that all should listen to the upper caste. All such things and times are over and by now even their own people have realized it," said Balakrishnan.

Meanwhile, Nair hit back at Balakrishnan and said that the latter's outburst has crossed all limits.

"Just because they (CPI-M) have the power and authority, it should not be treated as a licence to say anything. It's not that we do not know how to reply to such statements, but we are not doing it, as that's not our culture," said Sukumaran Nair in a statement issued on Saturday.