Sabarimala board may seek time to implement SC order
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With just two days to go for the Sabarimala temple to open its doors for the monthly puja, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has hinted that it may approach the Supreme Court, seeking more time to implement the verdict.
A source said the TDB was likely to cite poor infrastructure and flood damage as reasons to seek more time.
Thousands of women and children, carrying pictures and placards of Lord Ayyappa, hit the streets on Monday to protest the apex court verdict, allowing the entry of women of all ages in the temple even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (Bjp)-led NDA’S six-day rally concluded at the state secretariat.
BJP’S state unit chief PS Sreedharan Pillai , while addressing a huge gathering of protestors at the state secretariat on Monday, threatened the Pinarayi Vijayan government to resolve the issue in 24 hours or face agitation. He accused the “communists and atheists” of “hatching a conspiracy to destroy the hilltop temple”.
Many outfits, including the Shiv Sena, have threatened mass immolation and violent protests if women are allowed to trek beyond the base camp at Pambha.
The TDB has also invited the tantri (priest), members of the Pandalam royal family and other stakeholders for another meeting on Tuesday. “We are ready to discuss all issues. We are confident that it will be sorted amicably...,” said TDB president A Padmakumar, who is also a former CPI(M) legislator.
Pandalam royal family and three tantris have accepted the invitation. “We stick to our decision to maintain the status quo at the temple. It is for the TDB to find a solution,” said Sasikumar Verma, a member of the Pandalam royal family.
Meanwhile, a teacher in north Kerala’s Kannur has alleged that she was flooded with threats and abuses after she took to the social media to announce that she will be trekking to the hilltop temple in November.