PATHANAMTHITTA: Dismissing speculations that the NSS has altered its political position, senior Congress leader P J Kurien said that he held discussions with NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair during which the latter made it clear that the society “continues to adhere” to its long-held stance of political equidistance. Kurien, who met Sukumaran Nair at the NSS headquarters in Perunna on Sunday, said Sukumaran Nair’s earlier statements were only in the context of the Sabarimala issue as the rituals and customs of the hill shrine should be protected.
“His remarks should not be misinterpreted as a policy shift,” Kurien told media.
According to him, the general secretary only acknowledged that the LDF government had corrected its earlier mistake regarding the Sabarimala temple and that the step was welcome. “That is not politics, it is simply a recognition of fact,” he said.
Kurien pointed out that the NSS has historically maintained the principle of ‘samadooram’ (equal distance from political fronts). “Equidistance does not mean silence. It means the organisation will appreciate good measures taken by governments, whether by the UDF or LDF, and criticise them when they go wrong. That has always been the NSS line,” he said. The senior Congress leader also stressed that controversy arises only when political colour is given to such statements.
“The NSS is a community organisation. If its position happens to match the stand of a government or political front, it should be taken as a natural outcome. There is no political intent behind it,” he said.
The clarification comes in the backdrop of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the LDF declaring their commitment to protecting faith and traditions, a stance that was highlighted during the recently concluded Global Ayyappa Sangamam, that was welcomed by the NSS.
The organisation had been critical of the Left front in 2018 when the state government strongly backed women’s entry into Sabarimala following the Supreme Court verdict. By acknowledging that the government has corrected its course, the NSS was only reiterating its concern for the protection of rituals and beliefs, Kurien said.
“It is wrong to say they have abandoned equidistance. They have not,” he added.
Earlier, Sukumaran Nair too had clarified that the NSS has no political agenda in matters of faith. He had also said that both the BJP and the Congress often try to derive political mileage from the issue.