Dharma Vedi demands Vellappalli’s resignation

KOLLAM: Hundreds of SNDP Yogam workers in the district took out a march to the SN Trust office here on Saturday demanding the resignation of Vellappalli Natesan as general secretary for the alleged misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 240 crore.


The march was organised under the banner of the newly-constituted Sree Narayana Dharma Vedi, an outfit of the Yogam dissidents.

The march sprang a surprise to all, as the organisers had not given advance publicity owing to security reasons. The march started from the R.Sankar statue at Chinnakkada and concluded in front of the Trust office, a kilometre away. Around 3,000 people participated in the march.

The Sree Narayana Dharma Vedi president Sri Gokulam Gopalan inaugurated the march and general convener Adv C.K.Vidyasagar, Prof G.Mohandas,Rajmohan and others addressed the gathering. Vidyasagar urged the Chief Minister to order a probe into the alleged corruption in the SN Trust. Since the SN Trust is a public trust,the Government is legally and morally bound to conduct a probe, he said.

Vidyasagar also urged Vellappalli to conduct a probe into the allegations by a body comprising two or three retired judges belonging to the community. He said that Vellappalli was resorting to intimidatory tactics by levelling baseless allegations against Dharma Vedi president Gokulam Gopalan. Vellappalli had threatened that the Gokulam Chit Fund office would be picketed, he said.

Later, Vidyasagar told ‘Express’ that the Dharma Vedi would intensify its campaign against Vellappalli. Conventions will be held in all districts to constitute district committees. He said that efforts would be taken to unite all the dissidents in the Yogam against Vellappalli.

Meanwhile, T.K.Rajan, member of the Yogam director board from Wayanad district, has circulated a pamphlet in which he says that though Vellappalli, in his capacity as the SN Trust secretary, had collected Rs 270 crore through appointments and admissions to the educational institutions under the Trust, only Rs 30 crore was accounted.