A forgotten hero re-emerges as Congress, BJP lay claim to his legacy
Chettur Sanakaran Nair, a trailblazing figure who made history as the sole Malayali to hold the office of the Indian National Congress president in 1897, has faded from memory largely due to the party's own oversight and flawed narrative.
Chettur's long-abandoned tomb on the banks of the Bharathapuzha at Mankara in Palakkad district became a hub of activity on Thursday when the BJP unexpectedly laid claim to his legacy, rivalling the Congress' traditional association with him.
Chettur, the visionary who contributed immensely to India's development while being a member of the Viceroy's Executive Council, has few memorials in his land. A couple of trusteeship bodies in his name based at Ottappalam may be an exception. But the hard path to his tomb, winding through paddy fields at Mankara, appears to mirror the Congress' neglect of his legacy.
Until 2020, none bothered to remember him even on his death anniversary. Even his family members did not care. 'If Chettur's family members had been actively involved in politics, his legacy would likely have been celebrated within the Congress, much like K. Karunakaran and Oommen Chandy,' said Boban Mattumantha, Palakkad district chairman of the Congress's cultural wing Samskara Sahiti.
None of his family members were in active politics. Many of his descendants held diplomatic and juridical positions. K.P.S. Menon was his son-in-law. Former High Court judge Chettur Sankaran Nair, 92, a descendant, could not respond as he was relaxing at home.
Sivadas Chettur, another descendant who is a practising chartered accountant, attributed his great-granduncle's fading legacy to the fact that Chettur's political career predated Mahatma Gandhi's involvement in the Indian national movement.
But Mr. Sivadas differed with the Congress leaders like K. Muraleedharan in that it was Chettur's differences with Mahatma Gandhi that made the Congress turn its face away from him. 'Even when maintaining fierce differences with Gandhi, they held good personal relations,' he said.
On Thursday, the 91st death anniversary of Chettur, leaders of the Congress and the BJP paid floral tributes at his tomb at Mankara. If the Congress had started paying tributes in 2020, the BJP did it in 2025, recognising the freedom fighter who was known for his unflinching stand against the British.
'India's freedom struggle saw two kinds of heroes: those who apologised to the British and those who stood firm. Chettur exemplifies the latter, unwavering in his defiance. This stark contrast poses a challenge for the BJP, associated with Veer Savarkar's legacy of apology, to reconcile with Chettur's uncompromising spirit that embodied progressive ideals,' said Mr. Mattumantha.
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