Thiruvananthapuram: Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust general secretary Swami Rithambarananda has lashed out at SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan accusing him of misusing the Yogam for his personal gains. Mr Natesan has been egoistic, too, he told DC on the eve of the visit of BJP national president Amit Shah to Sivagiri Mutt on Thursday to settle the disputes between the Mutt and Mr Natesan.
Mr Shah, who is arriving in Thiruvananthapuram on the wee hours of Thursday, will head to Sivagiri by 12 noon and hold talks with the Mutt authorities to ensure that Yogam leaders are invited for the programmes there. The Mutt has for some time stopped inviting the SNDP leader for its functions.
“The police special branch has informed us that Mr Shah will be here by 12.45 pm on Thursday and he will be here until 2.30 p.m.,” the Swami said. “We have difficulty in joining hands with the Yogam. Guru had no politics and so Sivagiri Mutt also shows no allegiance to any political parties.”
Swami Rithambarananda said the Mutt authorities could not agree with the policies of Mr Natesan and hence were not keen on resolving the differences with the Yogam. Their relations had strained ever since the police action in Sivagiri Mutt on October 11, 1995.
Earlier in the day, Swami Rithamabarananda announced the year-long celebrations of Sree Narayana Guru’s proclamation on religion 100 years ago. He told reporters that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would inaugurate the centenary celebrations at 3 p.m. on June 26 at VJT Hall, Thiruvananthapuram.
The BJP president is visiting Sivagiri for the first time. Mr Narendra Modi had visited Sivagiri twice, including once when he was the Gujarat chief minister. SNDST president Swami Prakashananda had called on the Prime Minister in New Delhi.
