Thiruvananthapuram Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have crossed swords over the legacy of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru.
C.PI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has triggered the debate by slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ‘‘attempting to saffronise’’ the Guru’s fiercely secular and strongly humanist intellectual bequest to society. Mr. Modi tried to distort the Guru's teachings and depict him as a Hindu saint. His take on the ascetic at the inauguration of the 90th anniversary year of the Sivagiri pilgrimage in New Delhi was "curious and dangerous".
The Guru stressed social and political emancipation through enterprise and education. He dabbled in spirituality. But, importantly, he acknowledged the role of materialism in improving the quality of life of the common man. His ardent disciplines included atheists and rationalists of Sahodaran Ayyappan's ilk., he said
