NEW DELHI: With elections in Kerala around the corner, the Narendra Modi government is keen to install a statue of Sree Narayana Guru in Parliament. He was a prominent social reformer of Kerala and the spiritual head of the Ezhava community, which plays an important role in deciding the fate of election results with nearly 23 per cent of the total population in the state. He died in 1928. However, there is a hitch.
In 2010, a Joint Parliamentary Committee on Maintenance of Heritage Character and Development of Parliament House Complex had announced that no more statues and portraits would be allowed in Parliament to maintain its neat look. The decision was taken jointly by all political parties.
“The Parliament had started looking like a Madame Tussauds museum with statues all around as political parties would come up with demands in every session. The Parliamentary Committee, headed by the Speaker, was compelled to take this decision as there was no end to these demands,’’ said a Parliament official who was part of the decision-making.
According to him, all major political parties agreed completely on no more statues in Parliament, and hence the decision is unlikely to be reversed. “If one exception is made, then there will be no stopping. Every statue proposal will become a political issue,” said the official.
Since the PM wants a statue of Sree Narayana Guru, the matter has been sounded out to the Parliamentary Committee. “We are aware of the development, but there has been no forward movement,” said another official.
The last statue that was unveiled was that of former Andhra Pradesh CM N T Rama Rao in 2013. Sources said BJP is citing this case to support the demand of Sree Narayana Guru’s statue.
FACT FILE: Sree Narayana Guru rejected casteism, promoted values of spiritual freedom, and liberated the Ezhava community through education and modern thoughts
The last statue that was unveiled in Parliament was that of former Andhra Pradesh CM N T Rama Rao in 2013. Sources said BJP is citing this case to support the demand of Sree Narayana Guru’s statue.
“The decision to unveil NTR’s statue was taken in 2010 along with that of freedom fighter Alluri Sitaramraju. NTR’s statue was unveiled in 2013 due to some political reasons,” said the official.
BJP is learnt to be pushing for the case as its ally in Kerala, Bharath Dharma Jana Sena, which represents the Ezhava community, and the state unit of the party want an announcement in this regard during this poll season. “Sree Narayana Guru is not just an Ezhava leader but is revered by the Kerala society as a whole. The party feels it is our responsibility to bring him to the centrestage and spread his message all over the country,” said a BJP leader who is working for this cause.
He denied that installing the statue is connected to the Kerala Assembly elections.
Officials said what can be done is to install his portrait in the Central Hall, which may later be taken to the Parliament museum. “It is another story that the Parliament museum has become a dumping ground for portraits as nobody cares about them once they is unveiled,’’ added the official.