The director board of the Nair Service Society (NSS) on Saturday decided against the continuation of the pact of alliance entered into with the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam.
A press note released at Perunna said the decision was taken in the light of the recent developments which would negatively affect the harmony among the communities and secularism.
The alliance, forged with SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan on the basis of a policy framework, was with the aim of forging unity among the majority communities, the press note said.
Niggling issue
With Saturday’s developments, the alliance between the two organisations had fallen apart for the third time. As earlier, this time too, the basic issue that led to the separation was the controversy over the appointments to Devaswom boards.
The NSS was against appointments to the Devaswoms being entrusted to a secular body like the Kerala Public Service Commission. Instead it wanted a Devaswom Recruitment Board comprising members of the Hindu community and wanted reservation norms to be followed in the recruitment. This would ensure 50 per cent general merit and 32 per cent reservation for various reserved communities from Hindu society.
The NSS, however, wanted the balance 18 per cent to be earmarked for the poorer sections from non-reserved Hindu communities.
According to the NSS leadership, this arrangement would in no way affect the rights of the reserved communities as they were seeking the share which, under the reservation norms, was going to the candidates from non-Hindu communities, which was not applicable in the case of Devaswoms.
The SNDP leadership had come down heavily on this demand and alleged the NSS was seeking 68 per cent share. NSS leaders said the SNDP charge was untrue.
According to them, the 50 per cent merit seats went to all communities and the NSS was seeking 18 per cent for the poor among the entire non-reserved communities.
Against spirit of tie-up
The last straw, however, was the call by the SNDP Yogam to the Central government to reject the recommendations of the S.R. Sinhu Commission report on the welfare measures for forward communities. The demand went against the letter and spirit of the policy framework on which the alliance was based, the NSS leaders said.
They also believe that the immediate turnaround in the attitude of the SNDP Yogam leadership was with a motive as the Yogam wanted to mobilise the support of the reserved communities in Hindu society in the run-up to the formation of a political party, by championing increased representation in the Devaswom affairs.