The major Left party Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI(M))’s senior-most Polit Bureau member S Ramachandran Pillai popularly known as SRP was actively involved with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He was not a simple member of RSS. He was a leader and rose up to Shikshak level too in his younger days. For people belonging to the Left parties these revelations that are now emerging from Kerala will be a shocker. As Kerala is going in for Assembly elections next year all kinds of mudslinging is going on. It is the usual habit of accusations by the two major parties Congress and the Left in Kerala to accuse the opponent as an RSS agent or a BJP agent to cut down his image among the Muslim and Christian electorate which totally comprises around 50 percent.
The recent controversy and mudslinging started with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) sparring over the gold smuggling through UAE Consulate’s diplomatic baggage, leading to the link of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Principal Secretary M Sivasankar. First Congress accused that CPI(M) is in a secret deal with BJP to save it from the cases of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the cases filed by the Customs Department. Then CPI(M) countered that Congress’ Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala was in the RSS and working as a BJP agent. Both sides are trading accusations that the other side was an RSS or a BJP agent trying to grab Muslim and Christian votes.
In Kerala, both fronts usually tarnish each other with of links with the RSS or the BJP as if that is a crime. Such is the level of political maturity in Kerala which enjoys a high literacy rate.
Then came the clincher from BJP’s organ in Kerala – the Janmabhumi newspaper. In a long article, Janmabhoomi said Congress leader Ramesh was never with that RSS or BJP but that his father was an RSS sympathiser. The Right-Wing newspaper report went on exposing that in fact CPI(M) Polit Bureau Member S Ramachandran Pillai was with RSS in his young days before joining the Communist party. Pillai, a former Rajya Sabha MP is now 83 years old and the senior-most member of CPI(M) highest body Polit Bureau and stationed in the party’s headquarters in Delhi for the past 30 years.
The BJP’s newspaper says S Ramachandran Pillai popularly known as SRP was not only an RSS member but also in charge of their unit (Shakha) in Pullikanakku in Sreekrishnapuram Panchayat in Alappuzha district. Pillai was an RSS Shikshak (trainer) and attended many RSS district level meetings till 1955. Later he joined the Communist Party of India (CPI) in 1956 and went to CPI(M) in 1964 when the party was split on the ideological war on what should be the relation to kept with Congress party.
There is nothing wrong in changing parties. But in Kerala, Congress is rejoicing at the revelation of the BJP’s newspaper that CPI(M)’s senior-most Polit Bureau Member was an RSS Unit leader in his younger days. In Kerala, both fronts usually tarnish each other with of links with the RSS or the BJP as if that is a crime. Such is the level of political maturity in Kerala which enjoys a high literacy rate. The newspaper also revealed that former Congress Chief Minister R Sankar (1962-64) was also an RSS Pracharak in the 1940s.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi: A Gujju businessman who does not invest his precious time for a losing battle - April 13, 2024
- NIA arrests two accused Shazib and Taahaa in Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe blast case from Kolkata - April 12, 2024
- National Herald scam: Adjudicating Authority upholds Rs.752 crore assets attached by ED - April 11, 2024
I don’t understand as to what big deal it is for a former member of RSS to be a leader in communist party that gives an opportunity for the author of this article to say the things that he has said in this article. Is it anyone’s case that RSS members are Hindus who believe in God and Communists are supposed to be anesthetists and this is the reason why a person who was initially with RSS cannot move to Communist party? The meaning of the name RSS when translated to National Self Reliance Group (Not Hindu Self Reliance Group ) does not give a hint of it being a Hindu organization. Is it the case that RSS is unique as it belongs to a group of organisations that traditionally considered India to comprise of two nations namely, a Hindu nation and a Muslim nation and therefore is different from other political parties making it inconceivable for someone who grew up in RSS to become a leader in Communist party? All democratic political parties have a mix of ideologies of capitalism & socialism. Nationalization of banks to afford cheap credit to the poor, reservations in educational institutions and job, direct benefit transfer and subsidies are all socialistic measures while allowing more and more foreign investors in industrial sectors including defection production are all capitalists measures. The problem is communism conjures up images of complete state control, dictatorship and elimination of opposition to the government through violent means (Stalinist purges). The reason for violence in Kerala is the mistake of both the left and right wing parties. If RSS does not consider itself as communal, there is no reason as to why a person who was part of RSS during his early years cannot be part of any political party including the communist party.
Move along
Just goes to show that party hopping was in vogue a long time ago. Easier to achieve power, fame and money when one switches party
SRP is one of the few soft-spoked and decency human beings in the Kerala CPM. Possible that his initial acquaintance with the RSS in his early days helped him build his character. The cadre CPM, as it stands, comprises of goons, rogues and criminals like Pinarayi Vijayan and Kodiyeri and the notorious Kannur lobby.
What is wrong in changing parties? But Pillai is an exception, It is said he was a shikshak and attended many R.S.S sessions, But to join the Communist party is shocking for an R.S.S worker. It could be said that Pillai.s ideological affinity was not strong since he was too young. Or the then R.S.S leadership failed to gauge the ideological pinning of its workers. Anyway, the time is long past and makes no sense now
Changing ideology happens everywhere. I was also R.S.S Shikshak and attended O.T.C camps which in the Sixties was a one-month long affair. But I left R.S.S and joined Aryasamaj and continues to be there even now. Aryasamaj believes in formless worship, rejects Puranas whereas R.S.S is strong idol worshipper and upholds Puranas and similar wretched stuff. But this is life.
Swami Vivekananda also mocked a Gowrakshak who wanted a Gou Raksha Commitee amid a pandemic. He said, no doubt that these Gourakshaks are the biological baby of cows not Human.
This demonstrates that mere literacy doesn’t imply that the people are wise. What is the use of such education which doesn’t help in distinguishing between right and wrong, truth and falsehood.
Can’t understand what is wrong with Kerala’s political discourse. Being with RSS or BJP is bad in Kerala? Pathetic is the political discourse. Most illogical arguments from the most literate State. Swamy Vivekananda termed Kerala as “Mental Asylum” more than 100 years ago. He is still right