NSS pulls out from unity move with SNDP Yogam

Kottayam (Kerala): The proposed unity move between community organisations NSS and SNDP Yogam proved short-lived, with the former on Monday announcing its withdrawal from the initiative.

The Nair Service Society (NSS) said the decision was taken at a meeting of its director board held at Perunna.

The statement was signed by NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair, a release said.

“Due to various reasons, earlier attempts at NSS–SNDP Yogam unity did not succeed. A similar move, considering the present political situation, is also unlikely to succeed,” it said.

The NSS represents the forward Nair community, while the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam is an organisation of the numerically strong Ezhava community.

The statement said such unity was impractical, especially since the NSS maintains an equal distance from all political parties.

The NSS said it would continue to maintain friendly relations with the SNDP Yogam, as it does with other community organisations.

“The board has decided that while cordial relations will continue, a formal unity move is not feasible at this time,” the release said.

Reacting to the development, SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan said he would have to go through the NSS statement and declined to comment further.

Earlier this month, Natesan and Nair had separately publicly spoken to media about the possibility of unity between the two organisations after both had criticised Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan.

Meanwhile, Natesan was on Sunday declared as a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award.

Nair told reporters that the organisation decided to withdraw from the proposed unity move with the SNDP Yogam after suspecting political motives behind the initiative.

He said Natesan proposed sending his son, Tushar Vellapally, who is associated with the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), an NDA ally, to discuss the unity with him.

“Their approach towards this unity move was suspicious,” Nair said.

Nair said he was the one who placed the proposal to withdraw from the unity move before the NSS director board, which later endorsed the decision.