Renowned Malayalam writer and recipient of the Jnanpith Award M T Vasudevan Nair has stirred up a political controversy in Kerala with his comments on the “ritualistic worship” of political leaders. Referring to the stance taken by the late Marxist ideologue and Kerala’s first chief minister, EMS Namboodiripad, Nair made these remarks during the opening of the seventh edition of the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode, where he shared the stage with chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Addressing the literary gathering, MT expressed concern about the deteriorating state of politics, stating that political activities have become a sanctioned means to acquire power.

Although Nair did not explicitly mention any specific leader or government, his comments gained widespread media attention, particularly since they were made in the presence of CM Vijayan. The veteran writer’s speech quickly spread across social media, with some netizens interpreting his pointed references as directed towards Vijayan, PTI reported.

Amidst the ensuing controversy, senior CPM leader and LDF convener E P Jayarajan refuted the criticism, asserting that the writer’s speech had been misconstrued.

What exactly did MT Vasudevan Nair say?

Addressing the gathering, MT criticised the transformation of governance, stating that it no longer serves the public but has turned into a more dictatorial system. While condemning corrupt politics, he refrained from explicitly mentioning the LDF government led by Vijayan in Kerala or the NDA government under Narendra Modi.

“We have buried the theory that identified power as an opportunity to serve the public. The decline of moral values in politics is not a new topic of discussion. And these discussions were often concluded by assuming that eligible people are not winning elections. Today, political activities have become an approved strategy to fetch power. Today, either hegemony or totalitarianism is described as power. When someone wins a seat in assembly or parliament, they find it as an opportunity to have complete control,” quoted Onmanorama, expressing MT’s concern over the current state of ‘power politics’.

MT’s response

Responding to the controversy, MT clarified on Friday that he merely highlighted the current reality and did not intend to criticise anyone personally.

“I didn’t criticise anyone. I only wanted to talk about the present reality. That’s it. If my words have influenced anyone for self-criticism, I think that’s a good impact,” the Onmanorama report quoted him as saying.

The report further said that MT mentioned he never thought that the speech would spark a political row, as he was accurately depicting the politics of his time.