SNDP says NSS detente with Kerala govt on Sabarimala will benefit LDF in elections

Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan has said the Nair Service Society’s (NSS) detente with the Kerala government over the issue of protecting the conventions and traditions of Sabarimala, chiefly preserving the customary ban on the entry of women of childbearing age into the Ayyappa temple, would benefit the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the local body elections and beyond.

Speaking to reporters in Alappuzha on Wednesday (September 24, 2025), Mr. Natesan said he concurred with NSS general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair’s “informed stance” that neither the Congress nor the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had helped resolve the “emotive issue” (of preserving temple traditions in the wake of the 2018 Supreme Court order allowing women of all ages to worship at the temple).

Mr. Natesan said the NSS had strongly protested against the LDF government’s initial decision to facilitate the entry of women to Sabarimala. The Congress and the BJP belatedly hitched themselves to the NSS bandwagon for political ends.

Mr. Natesan said the SNDP had, from the outset, demanded the preservation of Sabarimala traditions, including those concerning women’s entry. He said the LDF government backed down from the move, “respecting the sentiments of devotees.”

He said Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan had called on Mr. Nair. The Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to safeguard Sabarimala traditions ahead of the recent Global Ayyapppa Sanghamam, prompting the NSS to reciprocate by sending its vice-president, Sangeet Kumar, to the conference. 

Mr. Natesan said the NSS had “always struck an issue-based approach” to successive governments.

‘Congress delusional’

He said the Congress narrative, which claimed the NSS was perennially opposed to LDF governments, was delusional. “For now, the NSS has reaffirmed its trust in the LDF government vis-à-vis the Sabarimala issue,” Mr. Natesan said.

“The LDF has acquiesced to NSS demands, including reservation for the economically disadvantaged among forward castes and also on issues concerning Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) recruitment”, he added. 

Mr. Natesan said he “agreed” with Mr. Nair that the Congress and the BJP “lacked a sense of direction” concerning the Sabarimala faith, including pilgrim welfare and development.

(Mr. Nair had blamed the BJP for not honouring its promise to ensure the preservation of Sabarimala temple customs via legislation and also slammed the Congress for striking a “duplicitous” approach to the issue that lay at the NSS’ heart. Mr. Nair had said the Congress showed scant regard for the concerns of the majority community.)

Asked whether the distance between the NSS headquarters at Perunna and the SNDP’s headquarters in Kollam had shrunk after the Sanghamam, Mr. Natesan said he “left it to the public interpretation.”