The controversy surrounding Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s meeting with leaders of the Hindu Aikya Vedi has intensified, with the Nair Service Society (NSS) saying the public should evaluate the chief minister’s approach towards the organisation.

NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair reiterated that it was for the people to decide whether the chief minister acted appropriately by declining the NSS’s request for a meeting and whether his conduct towards the organisation was justified.

The row began after Sukumaran Nair alleged on June 20 that the chief minister had twice refused to grant the NSS an appointment. The issue resurfaced after Satheesan met a delegation of Hindu Aikya Vedi leaders at his office on Friday, where they submitted a memorandum. Details of the meeting were later shared by the organisation on social media.

Sukumaran Nair said the NSS was no longer interested in meeting the chief minister, adding that the organisation had found alternative ways to pursue the matters it had intended to raise with him.

Hindu Aikya Vedi leader R V Babu said the delegation met the chief minister after seeking an appointment twice and submitted a memorandum adopted at the Hindu Leadership Conference held in June. He described the interaction as cordial and noted that previous political differences with Satheesan were part of normal political discourse.

Defending the meeting, Babu also pointed out that Hindu Aikya Vedi leaders had met Pinarayi Vijayan during his tenure as chief minister in 2016, questioning why similar criticism had not been raised at the time.

The episode has also sparked debate within Congress circles. Some party leaders cautioned that adopting different standards in engaging with community organisations could alienate groups that have traditionally promoted communal harmony. They also questioned why the chief minister continued to maintain distance from SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan while holding discussions with Hindu Aikya Vedi leaders.