Thiruvananthapuram: When two of Kerala’s most influential community leaders spoke in unison against Opposition Leader VD Satheesan, it signalled an unprecedented political assault, unlike anything faced by a leader in the state before.

At press conferences ostensibly convened to discuss initiatives for communal unity, SNDP leader Vellappally Natesan and NSS State President G Sukumaran Nair spoke with one voice against Satheesan. The Congress, however, has adopted a cautious approach, avoiding direct confrontation. Neither the Opposition Leader nor the party is expected to engage in open clashes with the community leaders.

Supporters of Satheesan, meanwhile, have decided to confront the issue by upholding a firm secular stance. Satheesan, on his part, is also counting on public support for his responses against attempts to sow communal division. He has repeatedly emphasised that his opposition is not directed at any community or community leader, and that his position aligns with the Congress's secular principles at the national level.

While Satheesan does not accuse the community leaders of promoting communalism outright, he has objected to certain remarks by Vellappally Natesan, viewing them as indicative of such tendencies. He has made it clear that he will not back down from taking a firm stand. His supporters also see it as a positive that he is receiving support even from outside the Congress.

Some party leaders, however, advocate a more cautious approach. They also suspect that the Chief Minister may be behind these moves. When Sukumaran Nair held a press conference, the fact that a phone call from Minister VN Vasavan reached him is not seen as coincidental by the Congress. The party also fears that the CPM may enter the electoral fray with campaigns portraying communities as opposed to the Congress.

Several Congress leaders believe that, like the BJP, the CPM is also exploiting communal divisions for short-term electoral gains, and that these manoeuvres must be exposed to the public. They also assess that public anger over government failures, including incidents such as the Sabarimala gold theft, could intensify, potentially fuelling stronger anti-incumbency sentiment in the upcoming Assembly elections than in the local body polls.

Will oppose communalism, whoever promotes it: Satheesan
Reiterating that he will continue to oppose communalism regardless of who voices it, Opposition Leader VD Satheesan accused the CPM of deploying the same divisive political strategy used by the Sangh Parivar in Kerala for electoral advantage. Referring to the NSS-SNDP unity initiative, he clarified that his consistent position was that all sections should remain united.

“The Chief Minister has no moral authority to lecture others on secularism. A person makes a communal remark, and the very next week, the Chief Minister honours him with a ceremonial shawl. What message does that convey? The same Chief Minister stood before me and spoke for one and a half hours on secularism while honouring someone who contradicted the teachings of Sree Narayana Guru. Everyone knows the truth behind the claim that I am hostile to the Ezhava community. How can the League (Indian Union Muslim League) disrupt the unity between the SNDP and the NSS? What role does the League have in this? The League and the Congress speak in one voice, and the secular minds of Kerala will stand with us,” he said.

Satheesan noted that political leaders often meet community leaders and engage in dialogue. Emphasising that anyone has the right to criticise him, he said Sukumaran Nair exercised that right without resorting to offensive language.

“Some even went to the extent of calling the Opposition Leader of Kerala crazy and the biggest scoundrel the state has ever seen. I have faced allegations no other Opposition Leader has had to endure. The public is watching all this. That is why the UDF achieved resounding victories in the local body and parliamentary elections,” he said.

Satheesan also clarified that he visited the Bharatiya Vichar Kendra in Thrissur to attend the release of P Parameswaran’s book on Swami Vivekananda. The same book had earlier been released in Thiruvananthapuram by VS Achuthanandan.

“The Communist Party has not had a leader of VS’s stature in recent times, has it?” he remarked.