SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan said that caste is a reality and there is no wrong in speaking about caste. Making some plainspeak at the inaugural of the SNDP Yogam’s Thiruvananthapuram Union building here on Wednesday in the presence of Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan, Vellappalli said there was nothing wrong in unity of majority communities and some vested interests were making a propaganda that it would trigger a tsunami. His plain-speaking came immediately after V S Achuthanandnan in his inaugural address said that regressive elements which Sree Narayana Guru had tried to banish from the social life of Kerala, were making a comeback with more vigour. Achuthanandan had called on SNDP Yogam that as real followers of Sree Narayana Guru it should work for the unity of the entire humanity, instead of working for Nair-Ezhava unity. “Casteist discrimination has paved way for caste unity in the name of caste. When Dr Palpu came before the Diwan of Travancore seeking a job, he was denied a job and slighted in the name of his caste. Now the same casteist discrimination is prevailing in the state in another form,’’ Vellappally pointed out. He also said that some politicians when they become ministers do everything to favour their community neglecting other communities. Such a scenario would prompt anyone to think in terms of caste, he added.
Vellappally reiterated his stand that the unity of the majority community was not against any other community but to ensure social justice for all. In apparent reply to V S Achuthanandan, Vellappalli said that VS was born as an Ezhava and it was later that he became a communist.
Vellappalli said it was people from the Ezhava community who were hindering the progress of the community as it took over 100 years to construct a building of its own for the SNDP Union, Thiruvananthapuram.
He pointed out that it was Parameswaran, who was none other than Dr Palpu’s brother, who objected to the right to use main thoroughfares when the issue came for consideration in the Sreemolam Praja Sabha. SNDP Union president C S Sujathan presided. Union Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor, K Muraleedharan MLA, SNDP Yogam president Soman, vice-president Thushar Vellappally and others spoke. Union secretary Kilimanoor Chandrababu welcomed the gathering.