The Nair Service Society (NSS) General Secretary G Sukumaran Nair, on Thursday, strongly criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for voicing support to change the tradition and the rule of removing upper garments for men entering in the temples of the state.

Speaking at a public meeting organized as part of the Mannam Jayanti celebrations at Perunna, he said temple rituals cannot be altered by anyone, including the government. “Each temple has its own traditions, and these cannot be changed by the government or anyone else,” Sukumaran Nair asserted.

Advertisement

Wondering if such interpretations are applicable only to Hinduism, he asked if the chief minister or the Sivagiri Mutt have the courage to criticise the customs of Christians and Muslims. “Are such interpretations only found within the Hindu community? Christians and Muslims tpp have their own traditions. Does the chief minister or Sivagiri Mutt criticise other religions like they do for the Hindu religion,” asked Sukumaran Nair.

The feeling that everything can be imposed on Hindus, dogmatism is unacceptable, he said. Speaking at a conference organised by Sivagiri mutt, Pinarayi Vijayan, on Tuesday, lauded a suggestion by Swami Satchidananda, president of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust, that asking devotees to remove shirts in places of worship should be ended.

“This proposal, presented with profound respect, has the potential to become a landmark social reform. It is almost certain that this approach will influence many other places of worship in the future. While no one should be forced to adopt changes, the fact remains that many customs in our land have evolved over time,”

CM Vijayan said Pinarayi Vijayan also decried attempts to portray sage-social reformer Sree Narayana Guru as the protagonist and practitioner of Sanatana Dharma, which according to him was nothing but the practice of caste-based Varnashrama Dharma. He said Sree Narayana Guru was not a spokesperson or practitioner of Sanatana Dharma. The CM cautioned against organised efforts to portray Sree Narayana Guru, who advocated “one caste, one religion and one God for people’ as a proponent of Sanatana Dharma.

Meanwhile, leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said Pinarayi Vijayan’s interpretation linking Sanatana Dharma to the Varna system would only help the Hindu nationalist organisations. “The chief minister linked Sanatana Dharma to the Varna system. By doing so, he bestowed the right of Sanatana Dharma to the Sangh parivar,” Satheesan told the media at Sivagiri.