The so-far subdued but festering fallout between former Transport Minister and Left Democratic Front (LDF) leader K.B. Ganesh Kumar and the Nair Service Society (NSS) leadership erupted into the public domain on Tuesday.
Mr. Kumar, who was dropped from the NSS director board following internal disputes in June, launched an oblique attack against the social organisation’s general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair, accusing the incumbent leadership of corruption, nepotism and “misplaced notions” of one-upmanship.
The NSS had also disbanded the organisation’s Pathanapuram Union headed by Mr. Kumar and abstained from renewing the politician’s primary membership.
Mr. Kumar alleged that “personal vanity” had prompted the NSS leadership to deny permission for dignitaries, including Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan, to offer respects at the final resting place of Mannathu Padmanabhan, social reformer and NSS founder, at the organisation’s headquarters at Perunna in Kottayam district.
Mr. Kumar alleged that the NSS leadership disparaged Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan at a recent meeting of the organisation’s general body. He alleged that it had also banned Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, widely perceived to be close to the NSS leadership, from offering respects at Mannam Samadhi, and also barred Union Minister Suresh Gopi, MP.
(The NSS had repeatedly cited last-minute scheduling and also intrusive security inspections and inconveniences of official protocol for refusing high-profile VIP visits to Mannam Samadhi. Moreover, the NSS also wanted to stress the optics of the organisation’s time-honoured line of equidistance from different political fronts).
“The NSS leadership should drop its low-mindedness. It should open the doors of the Samadhi to everyone who seeks to honour Mannam’s memory, irrespective of caste, community or religion. NSS should invite the President of India, Draupudi Murmu, an accomplished Dalit leader, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Perunna to speak about Mannam and the renaissance leader’s life, times and message,” he added.
Mr. Kumar also alleged that the NSS had invalidated 12 accounts it held at a private bank after the financial institution expelled a relative of those in the organisation’s leadership for falsifying employment credentials. “The NSS restored the accounts within 12 hours after the bank caved in and said it would not press police charges against the dismissed employee. The flip-flop disadvantaged women beneficiaries of the NSS’ microfinance scheme,” he said.
Mr Kumar urged the Nair community to take a page from the Generation-Z agitation against the Central government in Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to course-correct the NSS leadership.
Published – August 11, 2026 09:01 pm IST
