Cherthala: The brewing agitation against the recent Supreme Court verdict on the entry of women to the Sabarimala temple has forced major parties and organisations to alter their tactics.
Vellappally Natesan, the chief of the influential Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), stated its activists are free to participate in any agitation to defend their faith and tradition in accordance with the stand taken by their respective political parties.
Interestingly, Vellappally had opposed the stir against the SC verdict earlier. Supporting the LDF government, Vellappally had said that he had been telling the activists to stay off the stir. On Thursday, however, he mocked the government, saying “the ongoing agitation is a beating that the government begged for and got.”
The Yogam chief diluted his stand after the SNDP council meeting that was held on Thursday.
“The law has to be obeyed, but the Supreme Court verdict is irrelevant because devotee women (in the barred age group) will never go to the temple,” the Yogam chief said. “The agitation in the name of the verdict raises heat on the streets and will lead to riots. The ongoing agitation is leaderless. The SNDP Yogam is not obliged to mobilise people for that.”
At the same time, he added that the Yogam would indeed be in the frontline of an agitation to protect customs. “We should have been consulted before the agitation was launched.”
Vellappally's initial stand had not affected the SNDP-aligned political outfit Bharat Dharma Jana Sena which had already joined the agitation. The latter is led by his son Thushar Vellappally.
Meanwhile, slamming the apex body of the Nair community, Vellappally said the Nair Service Society (NSS) has its own agenda on the issue. “Those who have initiated the agitation did not see us in the Yogam as Hindus. The BJP leaders have not contacted us after I made my stand clear. I stand with the devotee, if you ask me where I stand in his confrontation with the government.”
The Yogam council has decided to summon the office-bearers of SNDP unions and the board members to decide on further action over the contentious issue.
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