Sreenarayana Global Mission plans 201 feet statue of Guru made from metals like Patel's, a research centre and international university
In Kerala, the battle for the Ezhava vote is also reflecting in the political fight over the legacy of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru.
As the BJP, which is striving to make inroads into Kerala, reaches out to Ezhavas, the largest Hindu segment in the state, it is trying to appropriate another icon–Narayana Guru, who had led a movement against casteism.
The saffron party has now found representation in the Sreenarayana Global Mission, which is planning a cultural movement on the life of the social reformer. The socio-cultural organisation, initiated in New York in 1982, is planning a 201 feet statue and research centre at Thiruvananthapuram, world class university in Delhi or Mumbai and a picture of the guru in Parliament House.
The statue would be built with five metals (panchaloha) collected from the people of the state, on the lines of Sardar Vallabhai Patel's statue in Gandhinagar.
"Our idea is to popularise the reformist approach of Sree Narayana Guru among the masses and make him relevant in the 21st century for the larger mission of building a strong and united nation," said BJP leader R Balashankar, who is now on the list of directors of the mission, an organisation of the Ezhava community which falls in the OBC category.
Party sources said this was an indication of the BJP, so far seen as a Brahmin party, getting acceptance in the Ezhava community. In Narayana Guru, who was born into an Ezhava family, the BJP is seeing a parallel with the RSS on reforming Indian society. "The BJP will try its best to connect to the community and devotees of Sree Narayana Guru because our ideology is close to the philosophy of the Guru. We have big plans to popularise him as an icon of new India," said Balashankar, former editor of the Sangh mouthpiece "Organiser".
The BJP, having aligned with the BJDS, a party floated by Velapally Natesan's Sree Naryana Dharma Paripalana Sangam (SNDP) yogam, is hoping to wean away the ezhava votes from the Left. The reformer was confined to an ezhava icon but the party wants to ensure wider acceptance for the early 20th century reformist, philosopher and multi-dimensional personality, sources said. Meanwhile, the Mission is also planning an international conference in October.
Four months ago Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the Sivagiri Mutt, a spiritual centre established in by Narayana Guru.
Opposition parties have accused the BJP of "communalising" his teachings. Congress President Sonia Gandhi, without naming any party, had said attempts were being made to "capture" the legacy of the reformer by "communal ideologies and individuals" for political gain. The CPM had castigated the SNDP for its ties with BJP, saying the Guru had taught them about one caste, one religion and one God for mankind. Senior CPM leader MA Baby said people were discussing the "opportunism" of Natesan and how an organisation which has been fighting upper-class suppression was joining hands with BJP.
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