Thiruvananthapuram: As the fight for Puthuppally assembly constituency left vacant by the late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy gains momentum, the CPM-led state government is in the mood to appease a supposedly miffed Nair Service Society (NSS).
As per the latest reports, the police are likely to back off from taking further action against members of the organisation who staged a 'namajapa' procession protesting Legislative Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer's 'myth' remarks.
As the case is currently before the High Court and Magistrate Court, it cannot be withdrawn. However, the government is reportedly looking into the legal options, we are told.
It was on August 2 that the NSS took out a procession in Thiruvananthapuram from the front of Palayam Ganapathy Temple to Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple. Members of 175 NSS units across Thiruvananthapuram Taluk Union participated in the protest march.
Cantonment police booked NSS vice-president M Sangeetkumar as the first accused and over 1,000 identifiable members who took part in the procession.
The FIR cited that no prior permission was secured for the march, unlawful assembly in violation of police order, operation of a public address system without permission and obstruction of pedestrians and vehicular traffic.
Now, however, the police say that the protesters had no ulterior motives. Stating there was no conspiracy behind staging the protest or any violence during the procession, the police said they may withdraw from taking any further action in the case.
On Monday, NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair clarified that the organisation does not intend to bring up the myth controversy as an issue during the Puthuppally bypoll and that it will continue its equidistant approach.
"However, we won't refrain from calling a spade a spade. Wrongs by the government will be flagged as wrong and rights will be hailed as rights," said Sukumaran Nair.
He also said the NSS has not backed out from its demand for a public apology from speaker of the Kerala legislative assembly Shamseer.
Shamseer has been accused of allegedly insulting Hindu gods during the inauguration of the Vidyajyothi Scheme at Kunnathunadu in Ernakulam early in July. Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in 2014, the Speaker said that there were attempts to rebrand myths as scientific truths.
He specifically mentioned Modi's observations that traced the origins of plastic surgery, in-vitro fertilisation and aeroplanes to Lord Ganesha, Kauravas and the 'pushpaka vimana' in Ramayana.
