Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Sankar did not support people’s struggle, says Achuthanandan

In memory of a leader: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan inaugurating the R. Sankar centenary celebrations in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said though the former Chief Minister and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary the late R. Sankar had earned respect for his services to his community, he did not render the expected support to the people’s struggle against Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Iyengar’s bid for ‘American Model’ rule in Travancore.

Inaugurating the R. Sankar centenary celebrations here on Wednesday, Mr. Achuthanandan said young Congress workers of the pre-independence period, including himself, had helped Sankar to get elected as SNDP Yogam general secretary in the hope that he would rally the Yogam behind the State Congress in its fight against Sir CP’s ‘draconian’ rule in Travancore.

However, that did not happen. Although Sankar was apprised about the brutal ways of the Travancore police when he reached Ambalapuzha and Cherthala taluks for an on-the-spot study of the situation, that too did not help avert the police firing at Punnapra-Vayalar that claimed thousands of lives, the Chief Minister said.

Mr. Achuthanandan said the other side of Sankar’s personality could not be lost sight of when remembering his contributions as a community leader, Deputy Chief Minister of Travancore-Cochin State and later as Chief Minister of Kerala.

Presiding over the function, SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan said while there could be political differences with Sankar, one could not forget the fact that he was a great administrator.

He was instrumental in giving to the community 13 institutions of higher education. Sankar, he added, had suffered the worst humiliation from his own community members and he probably died of a heart attack following reversal in a court case relating to the community.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Vijayakumar and Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran said the government would see how best the memory of R. Sankar could be perpetuated. Transport Minister Mathew T. Thomas, KC(M) leader K.M. Mani, RSP national general secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan, the former Union Minister O. Rajagopal, the former Kerala Assembly Speaker Vakkom Purushothaman, among others, spoke.

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