Kollam (Kerala) | Launching a sharp but indirect attack on NSS General Secretary G Sukumaran Nair, former Kerala minister K B Ganesh Kumar on Sunday said the organisation needed to show greater warmth and courtesy, while warning that dictators are "ultimately bound to fail".
Speaking to reporters after attending an event at Kunnicode in Kollam district, Kumar demanded that the samadhi mandiram (memorial shrine) of Nair Service Society founder Mannathu Padmanabhan be opened to all devotees.
The Nair community is an influential section of Kerala society.
Kumar, who was a member of the NSS Board of Directors, was recently not re-elected.
"History has shown that dictators, wherever they are, will ultimately fall. That is world history. There is no point in trying to rule like a dictator because dictators have always collapsed," he said.
Asked whether he was referring to the NSS leadership, Kumar denied making such a claim.
"I only said dictators will fall wherever they are. That is what history has shown. I did not say there are dictators in the NSS," he said.
He said that while he was not aware of the issues between Union Minister Suresh Gopi and the NSS, there was no place for intimidation within the organisation.
Recently, Gopi, who belongs to the Nair community, said Perunna, where the NSS headquarters is located, is "a great institution established in the name of our forefathers" and that there is an "organic cosmic law" under which its "purification will happen naturally".
Later, Sukumaran Nair hit back at Gopi, accusing the actor-turned-politician of making politically motivated comments and saying he "cannot do anything against" the organisation.
"I don't know what Suresh Gopi is planning. There is no need to respond to what he said. A little more warmth and courtesy would be good in the NSS. Authoritarian tendencies are not needed. There is no need for intimidation. Suresh Gopi is my friend, but he is also a union minister and should be seen in that capacity," he said.
Kumar said the samadhi mandiram at the NSS headquarters in Perunna, Kottayam, should remain open to all devotees, like other places of worship.
"The general secretary himself has said the samadhi mandiram is like a temple. If that is so, ordinary people should be allowed to enter, offer flowers and pay their respects during notified visiting hours, just as temples have fixed opening hours," he said.
Recently, the mandiram became the centre of controversy after VVIPs were allegedly denied entry to pay floral tributes.
Drawing a comparison with Sivagiri, he said anyone could visit and pay respects at the samadhi of Sree Narayana Guru, and argued that the same principle should apply to Mannathu Padmanabhan.
Sivagiri, located in Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram district, is the final resting place of social reformer and spiritual leader Sree Narayana Guru.
"Mannathu Acharyan is revered not only by Nairs but also by people from other communities. Those who respect him should have the opportunity to visit the Samadhi Mandiram and pay their respects," he said.
Kumar said community organisations such as the NSS and the SNDP had no official jurisdiction outside Kerala under their respective constitutions, but community associations functioning elsewhere under their names should be recognised for the social work they undertake.
"These organisations do excellent work in different parts of India and abroad, including the United States. They bring members of the community together and should be encouraged, not discouraged," he said.
