THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid the political row over peace talks held between the CPM and the RSS — mediated by him — to end political clashes in Kannur, spiritual leader Sri M has said there was no political agenda behind the talks. He refuted allegations levelled by the UDF that he was the middleman for a probable CPM-RSS alliance. The last cabinet meet on February 24 had allotted four acres in Thiruvananthapuram to the Satsang Foundation under Sri M to set up a Yoga and Research Centre. The land in possession of the Housing Board at Cheruvakkal village will be given on lease.
In 2015, the spiritual leader held a peace walk from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. With reports surfacing of the talks held a year later, allegations have risen that Sri M mediated in forming an unholy CPM-RSS alliance, and that the land was given as a token of political gratitude. The row has also brought out the fissures within the CPM over the issue.
In an interview to TNIE, the Yoga guru said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the then CPM state chief Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan had attended the talks along with RSS leader Gopalankutty. Sri M clarified that abandoning the Yoga centre project will give the impression that the allegations are true and, hence, he would go ahead with the project.
Q: What led you to mediate between the CPM and the RSS?
A: The talks were held in 2016 after I came back from my year-long Kanyakumari-Kashmir padayatra. During the peace walk, two people asked me -- first from Kannur and later from Banaras -- whether something can be done to end political clashes in Kannur. I was already thinking about it. Since I shared cordial relations with people from both RSS and CPM, I decided to be a mediator.
Q: Who attended the meeting from both sides?
A: In 2014, when Oommen Chandy was in power, there was a Yoga gathering by the CPM --Chethana Yoga -- for youngsters in Kannur. Pinarayi called me to inaugurate the programme. After the programme, I asked him whether we could at least make an attempt to hold peace talks. ‘Shouldn’t both sides feel the need for the same?’ he asked. Later, when I came across RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at a programme at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, I conveyed my intention to him. He too responded in a similar vein.
Meeting local leaders was the first step, since they play a key role. They wanted P Jayarajan to be included in the meeting. On reaching the state capital, I met Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who arranged for my meeting with Jayarajan. I met him at Kannur Guest House at midnight. He agreed to be part of the meeting.
I then met Chief Minister Pinarayi who willingly came for talks, ensuring there was no media scrutiny. No BJP leader was present. Gopalankutty, along with some other seniors, represented the RSS. That meeting generated only a lukewarm response. In the second meeting at Kannur, Kodiyeri and P Jayarajan too attended. The second meeting proved successful, proved by the respite in violence. Later, after a Yoga camp in Kannur, we held a short padayatra that was attended by P Jayarajan and Gopalankutty. We made it into an all religion meeting with a Bishop flagging it off. It was held as a celebration walk.
The talks and the subsequent measures were not part of any CPM-RSS alliance. There was no political agenda played out. Since human lives were being lost, I intervened to address the same. Many even warned me that there would be attempts on my life.
Q: There are allegations that you were mediating a CPM-RSS alliance.
A: When I went to Delhi as part of the padayatra, Narendra Modi had welcomed me. I know both Narendra Modi and Pinarayi Vijayan. Whatever be their ideologies, I share good relations with both. Just because I know Pinarayi, how can they allege that I’m a link between CPM and RSS?
Q: The government allotting land to your Yoga centre has now triggered off a controversy.
A: It was not a gift from the government. We approached the government for some land to set up a Yoga centre. An application was given to the chief secretary. It so happened that the land was allotted before the election. It’s being given on a lease for 10 years.
When controversies cropped up, I thought of giving up the project. But then I decided not to do so,
as it would seem I was acquiescing to such baseless allegations.