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Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 15 (IANS) Making its stand very clear, the Kerala unit of the BJP on Friday asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan not to mess up the Sabarimala issue and not attempt any "misadventure" like during the previous festival season in the wake of the Supreme Court's verdict referring the Sabarimala review pleas to a larger bench.
Addressing the media at the state BJP headquarters here, party spokesperson K. Surendran said the ball is in Vijayan's court on how things should take place when Sabarimala temple opens for its two-month-long festival season on Sunday.
"He should not try any misadventure like last time when activist women and urban naxals tried to enter the temple. Vijayan messed up the issue last season, leading to unprecedented situations in the temple town. The need of the hour is he should seek legal recourse in the apex court to see that status quo is maintained at Sabarimala, to what prevailed before the September 28 SC verdict that came last year," said Surendran.
According to the age-old traditions of the temple, women in the age group of 10 to 50 are not allowed to enter it.
Incidentally Vijayan reacting to Thursday's verdict had pointed out that the verdict as such requires more clarity and efforts are going on for that even as his government is fully committed to abide by whatever the verdict is.
Surendran, however welcomed State Law Minister A.K. Balan's statement that the state government will not provide security or protection to any women going to Sabarimala.
"This statement of the minister clearly proves that they did all that in the previous season and it was because of that, things went haywire. We on our part will do nothing that will create any difficulty for anyone at Sabarimala and our actions will now depend on the actions that is going to come from the Vijayan government," added Surendran.
The only saving grace as of now is, unlike the previous season, when Section 144 was clamped in and around the temple town, this time so far, nothing of that sort has been announced.
Last season, even as prohibitory orders were imposed, right wing activists stayed put in and around the temple town in large numbers and chased away more than a dozen women in the age group of 10 to 50 who tried to go up the temple route.
But however in the wee hours of January 2 this year, the police saw to it that two activist women were taken up the temple to pray, following which mayhem was witnessed in the temple town.
Meanwhile making the Kerala government's intention more clear, State Minister for Devasoms Kadakampally Surendran told the media in the Kerala Assembly on Friday that no attempts will be made by them to see women are taken to the temple.
"We have not done it before or plan to do it now. Sabarimala is not a place to show activism. Trpithi Desai will not be given any police security if she comes. Those women who say they will go to Sabarimala are looking for publicity," said Surendran.
Meanwhile even though the temple season opens on Sunday morning, the initial 'pujas' and rituals will happen on Saturday evening at the sanctum sanctorum of the Sabarimala temple.
--IANS
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