UDF’s boycott of Ayyappa Sangamam ‘hundred percent correct' : Satheesan ; denies rift with NSS
KOCHI: Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Thursday asserted that the UDF’s decision to stay away from the Ayyappa Sangamam was “hundred percent correct,” dismissing suggestions of any rift with the Nair Service Society (NSS).
Responding to NSS general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair’s remarks welcoming the Left government’s current position on Sabarimala, Satheesan said every community organisation is entitled to its own stand. “NSS has clearly stated there is no deviation from its policy of equidistance. Likewise, UDF too has a political position, one that was taken after detailed deliberations,” he told reporters in Kochi.
Satheesan described the government’s Sangamam as a political manoeuvre aimed at diverting attention ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. “This was a programme that collapsed on its own. 4,200 were promised, but barely 600 attended. The government paraded hate-spewing leaders, and a minister even read out a speech by Yogi Adityanath. By boycotting, we avoided becoming part of that farce,” he said.
Rejecting attempts to portray the UDF as being at odds with community organisations, he added, “We have no conflict with NSS, SNDP or any other group. They are free to make their decisions, and we respect that. Our stand was political, not communal. It is our duty to expose the government’s hypocrisy, it once claimed violating rituals was reform, and now it plays the role of fake devotees.”
Satheesan underlined that Congress and UDF maintained a secular, equidistant approach towards all communities. “We oppose both majority and minority communalism. Unlike the Chief Minister, who shifts allegiance for electoral convenience, our stand remains consistent,” he said.
The comments come a day after Sukumaran Nair welcomed the CPM-led government’s current approach on Sabarimala while reiterating the NSS’s equidistance principle. Earlier this week, Nair had criticised Congress, saying the party does not want Hindu votes and “maybe they only want minority votes,” in an interview with TNIE.