New Delhi: Vice President C P Radhakrishnan has indirectly criticised NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair, stating that neither the president nor the general secretary of the NSS should believe they are everything. The Vice President added that no one should be barred from visiting the Mannam Samadhi by dictating who can or cannot enter.

He was speaking after unveiling the statue and memorial of Mannathu Padmanabhan established at the Delhi headquarters of 'NSS Delhi', an organisation independent of the NSS in Kerala. Highlighting Mannam’s ideology that social reform is impossible without being inclusive of everyone, the Vice President pointed out that blocking anyone is wrong and that Mannam's legacy must be preserved. Notably, during his visit to Changanassery in February, the Vice President was denied permission to offer floral tributes at the Mannam Samadhi.

"My humble request to all the trustees of the NSS is this... do not think you are everything. You became everything because of the great contributions of Mannam. We are merely instruments to carry his great legacy forward. It should not turn into a power game of 'I am the President, I am the General Secretary... this person shouldn't come, that person shouldn't come.' Everyone should come, and everyone's contributions are needed," the Vice President said.

Purification will happen in Perunna: Suresh Gopi

Meanwhile, Union Minister Suresh Gopi said that the Perunna headquarters is a great institution established in the name of Mannam, and its "purification" will eventually take place. Speaking to the media, he rhetorically asked whether a major purification had not already taken place after the elections.