Kottayam (Kerala) | Nair Service Society (NSS) general secretary G Sukumaran Nair on Monday clarified that his recent remarks should not be interpreted as community organisations taking a position against Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, and said they were limited to NSS–SNDP unity.

NSS and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam are two prominent Hindu organisations representing the Nair and Ezhava communities.

In a statement issued, Nair said his remarks on Sunday were being portrayed as an NSS–SNDP versus Satheesan issue, which he said was incorrect.

“I realised that my comment was projected as NSS–SNDP versus V D Satheesan. The issue was only about NSS–SNDP unity. No political priority has been given to the matter, especially when elections are approaching,” he said.

Nair and SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan had on Sunday criticised Satheesan, stating that he doesn't deserve to speak about communalism when he himself meets community leaders during the election period.

Reiterating his position, Nair said that unity between the NSS and the SNDP Yogam was the need of the hour.

“Such unity can be achieved if both organisations take the initiative. No advice or intervention from others is required for this,” he said.

He said his earlier remark was only to state that it was inappropriate for any politician to present a false picture of Natesan, an 83-year-old leader who has long served as the general secretary of a major Hindu organisation.

Nair said unity with SNDP Yogam, as suggested by Natesan, can be achieved without compromising the core values of the NSS, after discussions within the organisational leadership He added that Natesan had said a decision in this regard would be taken after deliberations at an SNDP Yogam leadership meeting scheduled for January 21.