Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi:
West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Monday alleged that he was denied an opportunity to offer floral tributes at the samadhi of Nair Service Society (NSS) founder Mannath Padmanabhan in Kottayam before assuming office in 2022. The allegation has triggered a public exchange between the Governor and the NSS leadership, with conflicting accounts emerging about the incident.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Mannam Jayanti celebrations organised by an NSS Karayogam in New Delhi, Bose made a veiled reference to NSS General Secretary G Sukumaran Nair, stating that he had not gone to Perunna to meet any “gatekeeper”. Bose, a former bureaucrat, said he has had a long association with the NSS and described himself as a “Karayogam man”.

Recalling the episode, Bose said that before taking charge as Governor, he had sought an appointment with the NSS general secretary with the intention of offering floral tributes at Mannath Padmanabhan’s samadhi.

“He came to my car, opened the door, received me, offered me tea, spoke to me, put me back in the car and sent me away. But the matter of offering floral tributes at the samadhi was never mentioned. Don’t I have the right to offer flowers at the samadhi?” Bose said.

Questioning the alleged denial, the Governor asked whether every person born into the Nair community had the right to visit the samadhi and whether such a right could become the monopoly of any individual. Emphasising that he had not gone to Perunna to seek permission from a “gatekeeper”, Bose also proposed the construction of a memorial for Mannath Padmanabhan in New Delhi and announced that he was willing to donate one month’s salary towards the project.

Mannath Padmanabhan is widely regarded as a towering social reformer in Kerala, respected across caste and religious lines, and the NSS remains a prominent socio-cultural organisation of the Nair community in the state.

Following the Governor’s remarks, NSS General Secretary G Sukumaran Nair rejected the allegations, saying no such incident had taken place.

“No such incident has occurred. He came here and met me, but he was never denied permission to offer floral tributes at the samadhi,” Nair told a television channel, adding that the Governor may have made the remarks without much thought.

However, the controversy deepened after M R Unni, former education secretary of the NSS, questioned Sukumaran Nair’s version of events. Speaking to a television channel, Unni said he was present at the NSS headquarters on the day Bose visited and that it was widely known that the Governor had come with the intention of offering floral tributes at the samadhi.

Unni alleged that he was informed by another NSS office-bearer that Sukumaran Nair did not permit the offering of floral tributes, citing an internal rule under which tributes were allowed only on the founder’s Jayanti and samadhi days. He further claimed that exceptions to this rule were made for favoured individuals.

The NSS has not yet issued any further clarification on these specific allegations, while the episode has sparked debate within Kerala’s socio-political circles over access, protocol and internal practices related to the legacy of Mannath Padmanabhan.