ALAPPUZHA/KOTTAYAM: The SNDP Yogam council on Wednesday endorsed calls for unity with the influential NSS, marking a potentially pivotal moment—one that could have lasting consequences for the state’s political landscape.
The council has tasked SNDP vice-president Thushar Vellappally with holding talks with NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair to carry the initiative forward, a gesture that has been met with a positive and wholehearted response from the NSS.
Though sceptical, given that similar experiments have failed in the past, observers are watching the developments unfolding just months ahead of the crucial Assembly elections with curiosity, as the two communities that the NSS and the SNDP ostensibly represent together constitute about 35% of the state’s population.
Addressing the media after the council meeting in Alappuzha, SNDP general secretary Vellappally Natesan thanked Nair for the moral support extended when he faced criticism from all quarters for travelling in the chief minister’s car. He asserted that unity among the NSS and the SNDP was the need of the hour.
“It was Nair who mooted the idea of the SNDP–NSS unity, and I am grateful to him for that. Our objectives are aligned. This unity is not about hating others, but about achieving social justice,” Vellappally said.
The proposed discussions aim to promote social justice and the initiative will be inclusive. “From Nayadi to Nasrani, everyone will be part of it. We will ensure secularism in all districts, including Malappuram. No one will be excluded, and past mistakes will be rectified as we progress,” he said.
There would be no more confrontational issues between the NSS and the SNDP Yogam, Vellappally said, adding that the specifics of the discussions will become clear once they occur. He reiterated that the SNDP harbours no animosity towards any community, clarifying that the organisation’s remarks about the IUML were deliberately interpreted as being hostile towards Muslims.
Nair extended a warm welcome to the SNDP’s suggestion. “Unity will become a reality,” he asserted. The NSS supports the initiative without compromising its core values, he said.
“We will engage in discussions to determine the way forward. Subsequently, a meeting of the NSS director board will be convened to provide a detailed explanation of these matters. A decision will be announced only after that,” he said.
‘Unity will continue even after elections’
Acknowledging that there had been some discord earlier on the issue of reservations, he said both organisations had since moved forward without any confrontation.
“The stand taken by the NSS on politics, religion and communal harmony will be a basis for unity. The political stance of the NSS is equidistance,” he said.
“Unity is assured and it will continue even after the elections. Individuals can vote according to their interests,” he added.
Nair, however, said he had nothing to say on matters related to the caste census right now.