Flex board installed in support of Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan in Perunna, Kottayam on Tuesday. | Photo credit: VISHNU PRATHAP
The ripples created by the sudden decision of the Nair Service Society (NSS) to pull out of its proposed alliance with Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yoga showed no sign of abating even a day later.
Apparently in response to the sudden collapse of the proposed tie-up between the two powerful community organizations – whose leaders had publicly criticized Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan – flex boards praising him have sprung up in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts.
Boards bearing the names of various Congress organisations, including the Youth Congress and the Seva Dal, have sprung up on the stretch from Perunnna to Kanichukulangara, the respective constituencies of NSS and SNDP Yogam general secretaries.
Despite this visible show of support, the Congress leadership has formally decided not to comment on the development.
Coordinated criticism of Mr. Satheesan by G. Sukumaran Nair and Vellappally Natesan, general secretaries of the NSS and SNDP Yogam, had earlier fueled widespread suspicion about the true intent of the proposed alliance, which emerged just weeks before the Assembly elections.
Explaining the decision to withdraw, Mr. Nair said the NSS backed down after realizing that there was a political agenda behind the move. He claimed that his call for unity between the two main organizations of the Hindu community was sincere, but it later emerged that those who raised the issue of unity were driven by political considerations.
The enthusiastic reception of the idea by the left only added to the speculation. As news of the proposed unity began to dominate the media space, the NSS General Secretary was forced to clarify that the move was aimed at organizational cohesion and not against any individual. However, the clarification failed to gain wider acceptance.
While Mr. Natesan is widely known for his outspoken leftist political stance, his son, Thenhar Vellappally, heads the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), which is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
Since two influential community organizations were thus at opposite ends of the political spectrum, many observers pointed out that the NSS would hardly be able to maintain credibility to its stated position of political equidistance if such a unity were to occur.
“The argument that this association would ultimately benefit the BJP gradually gained momentum and reinforced the view that a tactical retreat would be more in line with the NSS’s stated principles,” a source in the organization said.
Published – 27 Jan 2026 20:54 IST
