KOTTAYAM: In a significant development, the recent event organised by the state government in Vaikom to commemorate the 100th year of the historic Vaikom satyagraha has exposed the growing divide between two prominent Hindu communities - Ezhava and Nair. The Vaikom Satyagraha is Kerala’s foremost organised agitations that saw different communities coming together for securing the basic civil right of marginalised castes to access all public roads surrounding the Shiva temple in Vaikom.
The Nair Service Society (NSS) stayed away from the event, while the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) actively participated in the centenary celebrations with its general secretary Vellapally Natesan being on the stage in Vaikom on Saturday.
The NSS had rejected the government’s invite to participate in the centenary celebrations and did not attend the event. According to NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair, the prevailing circumstances were not favourable to join the organising committee. The decision assumes political importance, as the NSS was indirectly sending a message to the government that the time was not ripe for reconciliation.
The NSS had played a crucial role in the success of Vaikom satyagraha by leading the ‘Savarna Jatha’ (rally of upper castes). However, the real beneficiaries of the satyagraha not only ignored the contributions of the NSS founder leader Mannath Padmanabhan, but also are acting against the Nair community in the present situation, sources close to NSS said.
In another incident, the NSS denied permission for the monks led by Subhamgananda to offer flowers at the statue of Mannath Padmanabhan at Vaikom a few days ago. According to sources, Vaikom taluk union denied permission reportedly as per the directions from the NSS headquarters.
In his inaugural speech at Vaikom, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan remembered the contributions of Mannath Padmanabhan and highlighted the importance of ‘Savarna Jatha’ led by Mannath in the struggles related to Vaikom satyagraha.