Kerala CPM govt gives yet another opportunity to BJP to cash in on Sabarimala

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPM-led left-front government in Kerala seems to have given yet another opportunity to the BJP and Sangh Parivar forces for Hindu consolidation over the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple with the recent decision to allow only 80,000 pilgrim daily and allow pilgrims only through online virtual queue booking during the two month long pilgrimage beginning from November 15.

With the BJP and other Sangh Parivar outfits trying to take political advantage of the issue by announcing stirs, pressure is mounting from within the Left front to review the decision. Hence, the government is likely to reintroduce the spot booking facility.

The fresh development has come up amidst the CPM in Kerala facing allegations of deliberately creating trouble at Thrissur pooram festival just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in April to help the BJP get political advantage in the election. The BJP had also won the Thrissur seat - the maiden seat for the saffron party to the Lok Sabha from Kerala.

Incidentally, the fresh row over a temple has also come up when the by-polls to the two Assembly seats and Wayanad Lok Sabha seat are expected to be announced anytime. By-polls to Palakkad assembly seat is quite hopeful to the BJP as they came second there in the last two elections.

BJP state president K Surendran, who was in the limelight during the stir against allowing women in the 10-50 age group to the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in 2018, has already announced that he would defy the government's fresh restrictions. Various Hindu outfits had also decided to hold joint protests.

The decision to impose the fresh restrictions was taken at a meeting convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan last week.

Even as state devaswom minister V N Vasavan reiterates that the fresh restrictions were made to ensure hassle free darshan to devotees, Hindu outfits are alleging that it will deny darshan opportunity to all devotees.

Senior political commentator Jacob George told DH that the government should have held discussion with opposition parties before taking such a decision and try to arrive at a consensus so that the opposition parties would not be able to criticise the government later on. He also expressed hopes that the state government would soon come out with some measure to avoid the BJP and Sangh Parivar from politicising the matter.

During the last pilgrimage Sabarimala temple witnessed utter chaos on many days owing to the huge rush of pilgrims. Allowing pilgrims both through advance online bookings and spot bookings had then led to huge crowds, which even crossed one lakh on some days. Many pilgrims had alleged that they couldn't even reach the temple.