From victim to voice: Sadanandan Master nominated to Rajya Sabha

Time of India

2 days ago

In May 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally in Kasaragod, raised the hand of C Sadanandan Master—a powerful moment that broke, in his words, the 'silence' surrounding a victim of political violence. At the rally, Modi spoke of the brutal attack on Master, a school teacher from a family of committed CPM members, who had embraced the RSS's philosophy of cultural nationalism after being influenced by poet Akkitham's writings. Branded a traitor by his comrades, he was targeted in 1994 when both his legs were hacked off, mutilated beyond repair to prevent reattachment.
On Sunday, nine years after that symbolic moment in Kasaragod, the Prime Minister gave Master's story national visibility once again—this time by nominating him to the Rajya Sabha. The announcement resonated deeply with lakhs of RSS members and sympathisers, for whom Master's resilience has long been a source of inspiration.
The 30-year-old victim of that savage assault did not surrender to intimidation. Known widely as 'Master' or 'Maashay', Sadanandan returned to teaching and public life on prosthetic legs and remained a determined opponent of the CPM in its strongholds like Kannur. He continued to champion the Hindutva cause but, importantly, stood firmly against political violence.
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Now serving as the vice president of the BJP's Kerala unit,
Sadanandan Master
has consistently spoken out against the use of violence in political and ideological conflicts. 'The psychology of violence is that of action and reaction. I am a victim of political violence, and I have always maintained that in my individual capacity, I am willing to take on any role to end this violence,' he told The Times of India in 2016.
Master contested unsuccessfully on a BJP ticket from Koothuparambu in Kannur district in both the 2016 and 2021 Kerala assembly elections. Yet, for 31 years, he has lived with the scars of the assault that changed his life. In that 1994 attack, his limbs were severed and crushed on the road to prevent surgical reattachment—leaving him in agony but undeterred in spirit.
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The PM's nomination of Sadanandan was not the only gesture on Sunday that stirred celebration within the broader ideological circle. Historian Meenakshi Jain, too, was named to the Rajya Sabha—an appointment that signals Modi's continued support for voices that challenged established Left narratives.
Jain has been one of the few academics to confront the dominant Marxist interpretation of Indian history, often facing resistance and ridicule in elite academic circles. But she found a following among Hindutva thinkers and supporters for her work on the destruction of temples during the medieval period—an area often ignored by mainstream scholarship. Her works, including Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples, The Battle for Rama: Case of the Temple at Ayodhya, and Rama and Ayodhya, reflect the persistence with which she pursued her research interests.
Also nominated was
Ujjwal Nikam
, the public prosecutor best known for securing the death penalty for Ajmal Kasab in the 26/11 case and for arguing the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case. Though not directly linked to the RSS, Nikam's selection appears to honour individuals whose work aligns with national interest as understood by the Modi government.
Likewise, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, a career diplomat and former foreign secretary during Modi 2.0, was also nominated. Shringla was once seen as a frontrunner for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 elections, but the party ultimately chose to retain the sitting MP. While the PM deferred to that decision at the time, Shringla evidently remained on his radar.
Sadanandan Master's life—from a Leftist background to becoming a dedicated RSS karyakarta—epitomises resilience and quiet service. His nomination to the Rajya Sabha serves as a recognition not only of personal sacrifice but of steadfast commitment to ideology and democratic engagement—even in the face of extreme adversity.
With inputs from ToI