The Eezhava community, a numerically powerful Hindu faction in Kerala has warned both the CPI(M) and the Congress for their unabated appeasement of the minority communities, especially the Muslims. Vellappaali Natesan , the supreme leader of the Eezhava community, who is also the general secretary of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP Yogam), founded by Sreenarayana Guru, has pointed out that the nomination of candidates to Rajya Sabha from the State is disproportionate to the religious demography of Kerala.

“The nomination of two Muslim candidates and one Christian candidate to the Upper House by both the LDF and UDF is gross injustice. While the UDF has nominated a Muslim League member, the LDF has nominated two members from the Muslim and Christian communities overlooking the interests of the Hindus,” Natesan said in the editorial of the June 2024 issue of Yoga Nadam, the official organ of the SNDP Yogam.

Natesan’s outburst comes at a time when a big section of BJP leaders in the State allege about an unholy alliance between the Eezhava community, a major chunk of the BJP leadership and the CPI(M) have formed a deal to keep the Hindutva party weak in perpetuity and force the Eezhava community to cast its votes to the Marxists. 

In the signed editorial, Natesan further stated that out of the nine Rajya Sabha members from Kerala, there are five Muslims, two Christians and just one Hindu and this highlights the discrimination faced by the latter. “The nomination of candidates to the Rajya Sabha is a clear case of minority appeasement politics played by the Congress and the CPI(M),” said Natesan.

He attributed the victory of Suresh Gopi from Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency relegating K Muraleedharan of the Congress to third position to the changed priorities of the Christian community. “The Christians had always pursued a strong antipathy towards the BJP. If they have changed their known stance and voted for the BJP, it is because of the fact that they have understood the discrimination shown by the two major parties against them,” said Natesan. He cautioned the Congress and CPI(M) against driving away the Christian voters towards the BJP as it was dangerous for democracy and secularism.

Many Islamic outfits have demanded the arrest and prosecution of Natesan for his alleged attempt to create enmity between various communities in the State. “Is telling the truth a sin in this State? The intellectuals and the mass media in Kerala maintain silence over the atrocities carried out by these religious groups for fearing of losing their commercial benefits. Whenever some calamities occur in remote parts of the world, the self-styled angels of peace create chaos and commotion here in Kerala while the official system looks the other way. I know what the repercussions of speaking the truth and I am not afraid to face it. I am always ready to end up as a  martyr,” said Natesan. 

Natesan is seen as a close associate of the CPI(M) in general and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in particular. Though he had praised Narendra Modi in the past , he was forced to change tact because of cases of financial irregularities foised by the CPI(M) government against him as the chief of micro-finance institutions.