What has so far been just an indirect enmity between Kerala’s Muslim league and the Nair Service Society (NSS), outfit of Hindu upper caste Nairs, has now turned into an open confrontation with an editorial published in the newspaper run by the former ridiculing the latter and its general secretary using perhaps the harshest words imaginable in such columns.
The editorial of Chandrika, the Muslim league’s official mouthpiece, attacked the Nair community in general and the NSS and its general secretary G Sukumaran Nair in particular in the context of the war declared by the outfit and the SNDP, forum of Hindu lower caste Ezhavas, against the Congress-led UDF Government in the State in which league was a partner.
The NSS said the Chandrika editorial on Sunday only reflected the lack of cultural values the Muslim league suffers from, adding that those who ridiculed the NSS would not be pardoned. “It is not that we don’t know how to give a fitting reply to the editorial. But the eminence of the position I am occupying does not allow me to do that,” Sukumaran Nair said.
The Muslim league leadership sought to cool the tempers by saying that the party was not in agreement with the content of the editorial. Party general secretary KPA Majeed said that it was not the paper’s editorial but a weekly column written by a person who was not a party man. However, the party would hold an inquiry into how this article appeared in the paper.
The article titled Puthiya Pada Nair (New Soldier Nair) appeared in Chandrika just when the NSS had intensified its fight against the Government over its alleged pro-minorities and anti-majorities policies. The title itself is in derogatory reference to Sukumaran Nair, the NSS general secretary, under whom the outfit had intensified its fight for the rights of the majorities.
The editorial has made some highly derogatory remarks on the history of the Nair community by saying that Nairs are Shudras with no right even to listen to the Veda Suktas as per Chaturvarnya norms. “Still, the foundation of the NSS was built upon the false pride that they are an upper caste,” says the Chandrika article.
The editorial alleges that the “Nair Spirit” that others are attributing to Sukumaran Nair is nothing but “his capacity to turn any subject he takes up into a controversy” that can create communal polarisation. It also accuses him of keeping an RSS agenda. Nair had openly justified Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Kerala while most parties had opposed it.
Though the league has disowned responsibility for the editorial, observers say that the NSS and other Hindu communities could not be blamed if they suspect some conspiracy behind its publication. Sukumaran Nair himself said, “We know who is behind this,” in an obvious but indirect reference to
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, a close friend of the league leadership.
“It is a fact that the Muslim league and the NSS have been in enmity for quite some time now but there was this relief that they used to refer to each other with respect at least in words. But this editorial can change all that and could force the NSS to further distance itself from the UDF (in which the league is the second biggest party),” said a senior journalist.
The controversial article has appeared in the Muslim league mouthpiece just when that party is facing the charge of throwing a spanner in the UDF’s efforts to pacify the NSS by staking claim for the post of Deputy Chief Minister while debates were on in the Congress on giving that position to State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala, a Nair close to the NSS leadership.