KOTTAYAM: Bringing to the fore the bickerings within the Nair Service Society (NSS), known for strict adherence to internal discipline, Kalanjoor Madhu, a friend-turned-foe of general secretary G Sukumaran Nair, was on Friday removed from the board of directors, a post which he had adorned for 26 years.
Madhu and five other members of the delegates’ council walked out of the budget meeting in a huff. Pathanapuram MLA K B Ganesh Kumar has been brought into the board of directors. “Madhu had to leave the NSS board of directors after working against the organisation. He offers support to those who were expelled earlier from the NSS for anti-organisation activities,” Nair told reporters at the NSS headquarters in Perunna.
On the other hand, Madhu accuses the NSS leadership of nepotism and claims that only flatterers are given positions within the organisation. “The leadership has deviated from the values of Mannath Padmanabhan. The leadership does not follow democracy within the organisation. They should stop labelling those who express their opinions as agents of a rebel group,” he told reporters.
NSS sources said the leadership believes that the rebel movement within the organisation has tacit support from a section of the CPM, particularly in Vaikom, High Range, and Neyyattinkara. It believes that Madhu, who is the elder brother of Finance Minister K N Balagopal, serves as the link between the rebel group and the CPM. It also suspects a concerted move on the part of the CPM to place Madhu at the helm of the NSS.
Replying to questions, Sukumaran Nair dismissed any differences of opinion within the NSS. “Madhu did not receive any support from the 300-member NSS delegates council. They trust the leadership. The same council has given me a fifth term as the organisation’s general secretary. The Nair community trusts me,” Nair said.
Meanwhile, the rebel movement within the NSS appears to be growing, leading the leadership to take action against some of its taluk union leaders recently. The rebels have filed a case in the High Court and the National Company Law Tribunal, accusing the present leadership of corruption and nepotism. The conflicts between rebel groups and the official leadership have intensified on social media platforms in recent times.