Despite being incensed by the ‘indifferent’ stance adopted by the State government, the Nair Service Society (NSS) has decided to put an end to its public protests on the controversial remarks made by Speaker A.N. Shamseer for the time being and approach the court instead.
A decision in this regard was made during the meetings of the NSS board of directors and executive council — the two highest decision-making bodies of the community organisation — at its headquarters here on Sunday. “The NSS strongly disapproves of the unresponsive stance adopted by the government to the controversial remarks made by the Speaker. If this government is not ready to initiate appropriate steps to de-escalate the issue, the NSS has decided to explore legal options for protecting the faith of the Hindus and has entrusted our legal team with the task,” he said.
Exploited politically
Official sources attributed the decision to an attempt by the community organisation not to let the issue lead to a violent flare-up and upset communal harmony. The community organisation, according to them, appeared genuinely concerned over the possibility of some fringe elements attempting to use the issue to their advantage ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
While the Congress-led United Democratic Front has largely remained neutral on the issue, the Sangh Parivar organisations, including its political arm the Bharatiya Janata Party, have attempted to use the issue politically and extended its whole-hearted support to the NSS.
Ganesh’s stance
In his response to the media, NSS director board member and Left Democratic Front legislator K.B. Ganesh Kumar too attested to this mounting concern. “The NSS has taken a very fair decision that in no way will upset the State’s communal harmony. The stance of the NSS is to counter injustices legally,‘’ he said.
Besides seeking a legal recourse, the NSS also plans to galvanise its members into action using its organisational set-up and make them register their protest through active participation in events such as the Vinayaka Chathurthy celebrations later this month.
