C Sadanandan Master, who is an educationist and was recently nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu, spoke with senior correspondent of Organiser T Satisan. Currently serving as the State Vice President of the Kerala BJP, Sadanandan is also seen as a living symbol of resistance to the CPM’s violent political legacy in Kerala. Excerpt:
How did you feel joining the highest seat of our country’s democracy as a member of the Rajya Sabha?
Answer: I am very happy and content to be a member of the Rajya Sabha of Parliament – the shrine, the Sanctum Sanctorum of our democracy. I have been engaged in social service since my younger days. When I joined the RSS, I came to understand the true meaning of social work. The training I received from the Sangh was not only ideological but also rooted in practical social service. Now, I have the opportunity to pursue social work through constitutional means, offering even more scope for committed social service. This demands serious and in-depth study, because the policies and laws formulated in Parliament are intended to shape the future of our country and benefit generations to come. This very thought fills me with joy and pride. The training I received from the Sangh was truly ‘scientific’, and I intend to use this golden opportunity in the most efficient way possible.
Can we expect you to be at the forefront in resolving the issues of Kerala?
Answer: When it comes to the issues Kerala is facing, I prefer to look beyond politics. These issues affect everyone, so they must be addressed without political boundaries. However, the approaches to solving them may differ. One method is to rely entirely on the government; another is to organise people and work together to get things done. I belong to a political party, just as others belong to theirs. But I intend to move in the direction of my party towards finding solutions. Kerala faces many challenges, and I wish to contribute to resolving them in association with members across political lines.
Now that you are in the House with members of the political party linked to the attack on your life, what is your attitude towards them?
Answer: Yes, there are members in the House from the party responsible for the “worst incident” in my life. However, I hold no animosity or prejudice towards them. I wish to maintain cordial relations. My organisation taught me that there are only two kinds of people around us: those who are already with us, and those who will join us in the future. We do not consider anyone an enemy – only opponents. Furthermore, while they may belong to the same political ideology, the members now in the Parliament were not directly or indirectly involved in the attack on me. The attackers acted within their own political culture. Therefore, it does not affect my personal rapport with the members who share that political philosophy. My words and actions should not become a barrier to them drawing closer to our side.
Was the attack on you, and the broader pattern of violence against Sangh and BJP workers in Kannur, driven by the CPM’s frustration over the growing influence of the RSS there?
CPM has always been intolerant of other ideologies and organisations, especially in Kannur. They consider Kannur their stronghold. The undivided Communist Party of India was founded in Parapram, Pinarayi, in Kannur district. They made it a point to oppose other organisations and ideologies whichever way they can. That is why they killed RSS worker Vadakkal Ramakrishnan on April 28, 1969. They believe the district is the cradle of their party. It was because of this intolerance that I became a target. I was living in a “party village” of the CPM. When Sangh shakhas began in the area, CPM leaders became anxious about losing their influence. Since I became an active Sangh karyakarta, they were increasingly concerned about the growing RSS presence. Moreover, I was once a CPM/SFI worker, which further intensified their hostility towards me. As a result, they created certain situations and attacked me. The same reasons are behind their killing spree against Sangh and BJP workers.
We understand that one of the criminals, who attacked you on January 25, 1994, visited you at your residence in Kannur district? What was the intention of his visit? What did he tell you?
Yes, one of the convicts came to see me the day of my nomination to the Rajya Sabha was announced. The convicts are going to jail next month for undergoing imprisonment in connection with the attack on me. He came and shook my hand and wished best of luck; then he went off. He did not say anything else. Another convict visited my house about six months before. We exchanged niceties and he went off too. I occasionally meet the convicts here and there. I always behave in nice manner. I believe that they were misguided by their party and their leaders hence they might be feeling guilty of attacking me. Now, the High Court has upheld the verdict for their imprisonment hence they are going to jail shortly.
Was Pinarayi Vijayan involved in the murder of RSS worker Vadakkal Ramakrishnan in 1969, as some reports from Kannur on murder politics suggest?
The local people believe that Pinarayi Vijayan had a direct role in the murder of Vadakkal Ramakrishnan. Recently, a local auto driver told the media that he was a witness to the crime. Pinarayi was a young local CPM leader in those days. The CPM Front led by EMS Namboothirippad was in power in the state at the time.
As we all know, there are many aspects in such cases—evidence, legal procedures, and so on. Therefore, Pinarayi was technically acquitted. However, people are aware that he has been directly or indirectly involved in several cases in the Kannur region. I regret having to say this. I say so with regret because he is now our elected Chief Minister. I do not wish my statements to trigger political confrontations.
Is the CPM always a party of violence?
Violence is the natural and inherent style of the CPM. Their philosophy itself justifies violence. Even their ordinary workers harbour hatred towards other organisations and their ideologies. They are trained in this manner. Instead of opposing others on ideological grounds, they are trained for physical confrontation.
Not only that, they also resort to unhealthy and undemocratic practices such as insults, defamation, and vicious propaganda. It is in their DNA. Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a symposium in Kozhikode. A gentleman, who used to be an ardent propagator of Marxism in earlier years, said in his speech that Communism always carries the seeds of violence. It was a true statement.
That is why their students and youth wings often attack Constitutional institutions. Violence is deeply embedded in their DNA. Even though political violence has reduced in Kannur, they now target anti-Chief Minister protestors. Writers who raise their pens against the government and intellectuals who criticise CPM leaders are insulted and verbally attacked.
In other words, while the CPM may have stopped large-scale physical attacks on political opponents, they continue their undemocratic attacks in different forms.
There were reports that the Thalassery riot (the so-called Hindu-Muslim riot) of December 1971 was the handiwork of the CPM. What is your opinion?
There is every reason to suspect the CPM’s hand behind it. At the same time, they claim that “when the rioters took to the streets, they appealed to them through loudspeakers from vehicles carrying red flags, urging them to withdraw from the violence and riots. The people obeyed and dispersed immediately.”
This incident clearly suggests that the rioters were CPM men—otherwise, why would they have obeyed the request so quickly? They wanted to create the impression that they were the saviours of the minorities and stood for secularism. At the same time, this sort of propaganda succeeded in halting Sangh shakhas in some areas to a great extent.
Background:
On the night of 25 January 1994, when he was just 30 years old, Sadanandan Master was brutally attacked by CPM goons in his home district of Kannur. At the time, he was serving as the Kannur Zilla Sahkaryavah of the RSS. The assailants hacked off both his legs in a gruesome act of political violence. To ensure there was no possibility of reattachment through plastic surgery, they discarded the severed limbs and even rubbed the ends in soil to further mutilate them. After abandoning him by the roadside, they left him to die. Some time later, the police found him—still bleeding profusely—and rushed him to hospital.
The Sangh and its inspired organisations took full responsibility for Sadanandan Master’s treatment and arranged artificial limbs for him. At the time of attack, he was teaching at a school near Koothuparambu, his native place in Kannur district. However, due to prolonged medical care and persistent death threats from CPM goons, he was forced to leave the job.
Even after learning to walk with artificial limbs, the threats continued. In 1999, he moved to Thrissur and joined a school run by Sangh workers, where he served until his retirement a few years ago. Alongside his teaching duties, he held key organisational roles—State Vice President of Bharatiya Vidya Niketan (the Kerala chapter of Vidya Bharati) and State President of National Teachers’ Union (NTU).
After retirement, he joined the BJP and has been serving as its State Vice President for the past few years. He contested the Kerala Assembly elections from Koothuparambu in 2016 and 2021 as a BJP candidate, though unsuccessfully.
Soft-spoken and composed, Sadanandan Master bears no animosity towards those who changed the course of his life. He displays rare magnanimity—even exchanging pleasantries with CPM leaders who were allegedly behind the attack.
His life reflects not just a dedication to education, but also a deep personal sacrifice in the service of nation, democracy, and freedom of speech.
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