KOLLAM: Even though SNDP general secretary Vellappally Natesan could ensure the participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the statue unveiling ceremony of R Sankar at the Kollam SN College on Tuesday, the grand dais as well as the programme venue was conspicuous by the absence of family members of R Sankar.
Shankar’s kin pulled out at the 11th hour in protest against an article published in the BJP’s mouthpiece ‘Janmabhoomi’. The article that appeared in the daily on Monday had claimed that R Sankar was an RSS activist and further added that the former Chief Minister of Kerala had played a prominent role in the formation of Hindu Mahamandalam in the state. When asked about his decision to pull himself out of the statue unveiling function, R Sankar’s son Mohan Sankar told ‘Express’ that the situations had changed and decisions had to be taken in accordance with it. “The article that appeared in the ‘Janmabhoomi’ had prompted me to take such a decision. They portrayed my father as an RSS activist. It is condemnable and preposterous. Before you know, they will dub him a BJP leader,"he said.