From having legs hacked off to getting Rajya Sabha foothold: A Master's journey of grit

NEW DELHI: It was May 2016. Speaking at a rally in Kasaragod, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held up the hand of C Sadanandan Master as he lamented the silence imposed on the story of the victim of barbaric poll violence. Coming from a family of hardcore CPM members, the 30-year-old school teacher was influenced by the writings of poet Akkitham and turned into a votary of RSS's philosophy of cultural nationalism. He was dubbed a traitor by his comrades, who punished the defection by hacking off both his legs in 1994. The limbs were mutilated so that they could not be rejoined. The PM breached the "silence" on Sunday that he complained about nine years ago by announcing Sadanandan Master's nomination to Rajya Sabha - a move that lakhs of members and sympathisers of RSS would applaud.

For, if the atrocity was meant to intimidate him into submission, the attackers failed miserably. Sadanandan, popularly known as Master or 'Maashay', who is now dependent on his prosthetic legs , did not let the gruesome attack deter him from taking on the powerful CPM in their stronghold of Kannur and elsewhere, and propagating Hindutva. Importantly, he has been arguing against the use of violence to settle political and ideological disagreements.

If the recognition of Sadanandan Master helps explain his enduring appeal among lay supporters of RSS, the PM gave them another reason to celebrate on Sunday: the nomination of historian Meenakshi Jain . Part of the rare breed that challenged the dominant Left historiography, Jain had to endure resistance and ridicule in academic circles. She, however, earned the admiration of Hindutva circles by detailing the destruction of temples in the medieval period, a taboo area for 'mainstream' historians. Her books - 'Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples', 'The Battle for Rama: Case of the Temple at Ayodhya', and 'Rama and Ayodhya' - are evidence of the tenacity with which she pursued her passion.


Ujjwal Nikam , the Mumbai lawyer who successfully argued for death penalty for Ajmal Kasab of 26/11 infamy and had earlier argued the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case, is not known for his links with RSS. Yet, his nomination appears to be part of Modi rewarding those who turn out to be symbols of the cause.

Ditto for Harsh Vardhan Shringla , the career diplomat who served as foreign secretary under Modi 2.0. He was seen as BJP's choice for the Darjeeling LS seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections before the leadership deferred to the in-house wisdom that the incumbent be retained. The PM may have gone along with the majority view, but did not let the former ambassador slip off his radar.

A Leftist-turned-RSS karyakarta, Sadanandan Master's life has been one of sacrifices and a symbol of resilience and unwavering public service in the face of a brutal political attack on him in 1994 in Kannur. For 31 years, Sadanandan Master has been living with these scars when CPM workers severed both his legs, mutilated them on the surface of the road so that he couldn't undergo limb replantation and left him writhing in pain.

The brutal attack didn't deter Sadanandan Master as he returned to his teaching job and social service on prosthetic legs. He has consistently spoken out against political violence, especially in Kannur, and has advocated peace and dialogue.

"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 had told TOI in 2016.

Sadanandan Master unsuccessfully contested the 2016 and 2021 assembly elections in Kerala on a BJP ticket from the Koothuparambu constituency in Kannur district. Currently, he is the vice president of BJP's Kerala unit.