BJP steps up Sabarimala pressure
Union minister Alphons to visit temple base camp today, while BJP chief Amit Shah will visit temple monthend
SABARIMALA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would send its leaders to Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple amid protests against the September 28 Supreme Court verdict that overturned a ban on menstruating women from entering the shrine.
The verdict has triggered protests. Thousands of protesters blocked exits at Kochi airport for over 14 hours on Friday to stop activist Trupti Desai from heading to a temple.
Union tourism minister Alphons Kannanthanam would visit the temple’s Pambha base camp on Monday. His ministerial colleague, Pon Radhakrishnan, would follow suit over the weekend while BJP president Amit Shah is likely to visit the temple by month-end.
“I am visiting Pambha on Monday to see arrangements. There are enough complaints that devotees are facing innumerable problems due to heavy security and other restrictions,” Kannathanam said.
Earlier, BJP state general secretary K Sudhakaran was arrested on his to the temple on Saturday night and remanded in two-week judicial custody.
“There is need to take a path of consensus on matters relating to Sabarimala,’’ Kannanthanam said in a Facebook post. He said implementing things, which are against people’s interest, had no place in the democracy. Kannanthanam added the people’s verdict is for five years and not lifelong.
BJP state unit chief P S Sreed- haran Pillai alleged the state government was making the shrine “a centre of the dispute to destroy its uniqueness”. He said the BJP will extend all possible assistance to the protesters to protect the hill shrine from the “hidden agenda of atheists”.
Ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the BJP’S “agenda” was to create violence.
The BJP, which is trying to make inroads into Kerala, took out protest rallies and hymnchanting processions in state.
The Congress, which deputed a three-member delegation to Sabarimala, accused the CPI (M)-led state government of creating a ‘terror-like atmosphere’ in the name of security at the hill shrine.
Former state minister Adoor Prakash slammed the state government for not making required facilities for devotees at Sabarimala.
An uneasy calm prevailed at the shrine on the second day of the 64-day annual pilgrimage season on Sunday. The temple was opened for the annual pilgrimage on Friday as a fierce standoff continued between the state government and protestors over the issue of allowing menstruating women into the temple.
On the second day of the Malayalam month ‘Vrischikom’, the pilgrims offered prayers at the shrine. The devotees were relieved to get more time for‘darshan’ due to less crowd. Many were unhappy at not being allowed to spend more time at the main temple complex.
So far, no women in the 10-50 age group has sought police protection to trek the hilltop shrine. Over 500 odd young women have made online bookings for darshan.
The Travancore Devasom Board, which manages the temple, said it will move the Supreme Court on Monday seeking more time to implement the verdict.
(With PTI inputs)