KOTTAYAM: NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair said that the statement of the Chief Minister that the state government has seriously considered the issue of making Mannam Jayanti a public holiday is hollow. He also criticized the Chief Minister's reply that the Forward Community List couldn't be published due to the code of conduct. Sukumaran Nair said that the statement of the Chief Minister was against facts. NSS is not hostile to anyone. There is no point in getting offended while stating facts, he said.

Although Mannan Jayanti is a public holiday, petitions have been filed with the Chief Minister twice in 2017 and 2018 seeking to declare it as a public holiday under the purview of the Negotiable Instruments Act. However, he pointed out that no positive response was received. The reply to the first petition was that it was the general policy of the Government that no new leave should be granted and that there is no way to consider the demand in this case. According to the Negotiable Instruments Act, the Union Ministry of Finance has directed that no more than 15 days of public leave be allowed. The reply to the second petition was that the state has to allow more when public holidays are declared and in view of the fact that 18 such holidays have been sanctioned in 2018 and there is no provision to accept the demand on the basis of the general policy that no new holidays should be allowed. He also criticized the Chief Minister's statement that the government had considered the issue seriously.

The Chief Minister's reply that the Code of Conduct was an impediment to the publication of the list and that the High Court has now given permission to publish the list is not in line with the fact that the report of the Forward Community Commission, which includes the Forward Community List, was approved by the Government 10 months ago. Sukumaran Nair said that the High Court had directed the government to publish the list on a petition filed by the NSS challenging the government's delay in publishing the list.