Kerala Govt Planning to let women visit Sabarimala Temple on separate days:Pinarayi Vijayan

Mangalore Today News Network

Kerala, Nov 15, 2018 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan concluded an all-party meeting on the Sabarimala issue today, November 15, to discuss the upcoming Sabarimala pilgrimage season after the Supreme Court declined to stay its September 28 order allowing all women to pray at the temple, Yahoonews reported.

 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress walked-out of the meeting towards the end.

Opposition parties have said that the government is adamant on its stand and hence the problem cannot be resolved. They said that the government will have to take responsibility in case the law and order situation goes out of control due to a heavy crowd.

Leader of Opposition of Kerala Legislative Assembly Ramesh Chennithala said that the meeting was not fruitful. "We have decided for a walkout. The CM was not ready to listen to us," he said.

Chennithala added, "This government is playing to the tune of RSS-BJP. The government will be responsible for all the untoward incidents that will happen in the shrine"

The Sabarimala shrine will open tomorrow evening for 64 days for the annual Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage.

Kerala’s Left Democratic Front (LDF) government now has to provide protection for 549 women who have registered for ’darshan’ online and facilitate their visit to the temple. But devotees, the head priest family, the Pandalam royals, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with other right-wing outfits, have resisted the entry of women into the temple on the grounds of violating rituals followed by the temple.

Coming out of the meeting, CM Pinarayi said, "Both Congress and BJP have taken same stand. We will implement the Supreme Court order. The government is with the devotees. We don’t have an agenda. There is no politics in this issue."

He further said, "The opposition said that the state did not take a measured call, but we have made it clear that we have only followed the SC verdict and we have not challenged it. If the Supreme Court changes the verdict then we shall implement the new order."

CM Pinarayi has also has invited the Pandalam Royal Family and the Thanthri family for a meeting at the CM’s office in Thiruvananthapuram at 3:30 pm today.

Despite massive protests against the entry of all females into the temple, the Supreme Court on Wednesday, November 14, declined to stay its September 28 order.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked a lawyer, who was seeking stay on its Sabarimala verdict, to wait till January 22 when the Constitution bench will hear review petitions.