BJP stages fast on Sabarimala issue; Rahul Gandhi's remarks create ripples

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP intensified its agitation over the Sabarimala issue by staging a day-long fast here on Tuesday even as remarks of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi favouring entry of all women into the Lord Ayyappa temple contrary to Kerala unit's stand created ripples in the state. Hundreds of BJP workers staged the "hunger strike" in front of the state police chief's office protesting the LDF government's move to implement the Supreme Court order lifting the ban on entry of menstrual age women into the Sabarimala shrine and also the police crackdown on the protesters. BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai led the agitation while party cadres also took out marches to offices of the Superintendents of Police in all district headquarters to condemn the government for arresting over 3,000 people in connection with the protests earlier this month. Speaking to journalists in Indore, Gandhi welcomed "at personal level" the Supreme Court order but conceded his views were different from those of his party's Kerala unit. Seizing the opportunity, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan welcomed Gandhi's statement and flayed the state unit saying it was 'unfortunate' that the Congress in Kerala was not in sync with the its national leadership on the issue. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said there was no "confusion" in the party over the issue and Gandhi had not disowned the state Congress's stand on Sabarimala.