G Sukumaran Nair’s snub leaves Suresh Gopi ‘heart-broken’
The delegates received his words with a thunderous applause
KOCHI: Actor Suresh Gopi, the BJP’s star campaigner in Aruvikkara, received an unexpected snub on the polling day from NSS general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair at Perunna, NSS headquarters.
Mr Nair, who did not want to be seen with the ‘BJP showman’ on this day, curtly asked him to leave the place when Suresh Gopi, accompanied by a few others, tried to walk into the hall where the budget session of the NSS was in progress on Saturday. “You should not have chosen this day to visit the place. Who invited you? This is not the place for you to conduct a show,” Mr. Nair told the actor.
It was a rude jolt for Mr Gopi on his birthday as he had come to the NSS headquarters on his way back from Guruvayur temple and after offering pooja at a temple in Vazhappilleth.
Mr. Gopi, the hero of many screen fights, later told reporters that he was “heart-broken by the treatment” meted out to him by the NSS leader. Asked about the propriety of walking into the delegates’ session, he said that one of the delegates had invited him to the hall. He did not know the name of the delegate, but could recognise him by face, he said.
Mr Sukumaran Nair lambasted Mr Gopi and said the actor had come to the NSS headquarters to defame it. “He was trying to create an impression that the NSS is with BJP candidate O. Rajagopal in Aruvikkara,” Mr Nair said. “The NSS will not be a party to such political games,” he told the delegates’ session in connection with the budget presentation.
The delegates received his words with a thunderous applause. Only the elected delegates are allowed to attend the session.
He equated Mr Gopi’s act with that of Mr V.S. Achuthanandan’s visit to the house of T.P. Chandrasekharan on the day of Neyyattinkara by-poll. He said permission was granted to the actor to offer floral tributes at Mannam Samadhi, but not to enter the delegates’ session.
He also said that sometime ago on a Mannam Jayanthi day, the actor had walked onto the stage, when the music show of Nadirsha was in progress, to hog the limelight.
Mr Gopi, who is tipped to be the chairman of the National Film Development Corporation, said that he did not harbour any bitterness towards the NSS and that he would visit the headquarters in future after taking permission.