THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sivagiri Mutt, the Mecca of Ezhava community, has dealt a major blow to SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan’s bid for a tie-up with the BJP.
A single-page resolution initiated by Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust general secretary Swamy Rithambaranada and signed by its registrar V. T. Saseendran says that Mr Natesan has been throwing Narayana Guru's teachings to the winds.
At the executive committee meeting of SNDST, Rithambarananda reportedly told the members that the mutt would never agree to surrender its interests before any political party.
The resolution without naming Mr Natesan states that the recent development shows that there have been attempts to tarnish the image of Narayana Guru and Sivagiri Mutt.
Some have also been trying to get benefits from the central government and portraying themselves as the well-wishers of Sivagiri which is highly deplorable.
“All this is being initiated to get political mileage and those at the Sivagiri Mutt are being dragged into the controversy which should be stopped immediately,” said the resolution.
Sources close to SNDST told DC that hereafter Sivagiri Mutt itself will issue marriage certificates. Already SNDP Yogam’s shakhas issue certificates to couples indicating that the mutt and the yogam are heading for an open confrontation.
Mr Natesan lashed out at Rithambarananda over the resolution and asked the mutt to do its work. He added that the SNDP Yogam would concentrate on what it had been doing all these years.
“Time will reveal which is the force to be reckoned with, whether it is the Sivagiri Mutt or the SNDP Yogam. We will visit Delhi again after August 15 to meet the central BJP leadership as per our earlier plans. SNDP Yogam election is scheduled to take place on August 9. To sabotage the election, there will be ‘rumours’ to tarnish the image of SNDP Yogam,” he said.
He added that Sivagiri Mutt officials were trying to project things which don’t exist at all. Mr Natesan, his son Tushar Vellapally, who is also the SNDP Yogam vice-president, and BJP state president V. Muraleedharan had called on the central BJP leadership last week and held talks on the political situation in the state.
