CPI(M) leader P. Jayarajan slams Vellapally for ‘standing on two boats’ (original) (raw)

Senior CPI(M) leader P. Jayarajan at his residence, in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN

Senior CPI(M) leader P. Jayarajan on Tuesday criticised SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan for “standing on two boats.”

As the general secretary of the SNDP, Mr. Natesan steered the Navodhana Samrakshana Samithi (Renaissance Protection Forum), which was constituted when the Left Democratic Front (LDF) was in power. But some of his statements have hurt the State’s secular consciousness, said Mr. Jayarajan, a State Committee member of the CPI(M), urging the society to fathom this dichotomy.

The remarks were made while he was speaking about his latest book, Sanathanikalude Hindutva Vazhikal (The Hindutva Pathways of Sanatanis), at an event organised by Rachana, the cultural wing of the Kerala Secretariat Employees Association.

Later, talking to The Hindu, Mr. Jayarajan said the Navodhana Samithi was formed to counter the rise in communalism and the revival of moribund customs and traditions in Kerala society. “While steering it, Mr. Natesan inflicted deep wounds on Kerala’s secular psyche,” he said. “Meanwhile, his son Thushar Vellapally leads the BDJS, which is an ally of the BJP. And Mr. Natesan’s wife, Preethi, seeks to whitewash the BJP candidates in the elections,” Mr. Jayarajan pointed out.

He said Congress leaders who criticised Mr. Natesan during the elections later made a beeline for his house. “Ministers in the Cabinet led by V.D. Satheesan, who said he wouldn’t lounge around the doorsteps of community leaders, have done exactly that,” Mr Jayarajan said.

Community organisations, be it the SNDP, NSS or Yogakshema Sabha, had played a role in Kerala’s social reformation. But lately, these organisations have narrowed their focus to preserving caste and community interests.

Mr. Jayarajan said Hindutva forces have sought to portray the greatest of Kerala reformers, Sree Narayana Guru, as a Hindu saint in a calculated distortion of history. “It is undeniable that the SNDP Yogam founded by him played a vital role in Kerala’s renaissance. But in later years, it was reduced to a community organisation by jettisoning its role in the renaissance.”

Published - June 09, 2026 09:19 pm IST