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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s whistle-stop tour of Kerala on Tuesday evening has provided enough hints that the Sabarimala issue will form the main agenda during the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.
The visit came a day after the annual ‘ Makaravilakku ’ festival at the hill shrine, which shot to national and international fame after the historic Supreme Court order allowing women of all age groups access to the shrine, in September last year.
Lack of flourish
Women between the ages of 10-50 were banned from entering the temple premises. The reversal of the tradition had pitted the faithful against the CPI(M)-led State government, which vouches by the order and wants to ‘uphold gender equality.’
The BJP, along with the Congress, has supported protests against the order, accusing the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of ignoring public sentiments.
The Prime Minister visited the State for inaugurating a bypass in Kollam district. He later offered prayers at the Sreepadmanabhaswami temple in Thiruvananthapuram.
Political observers said there was lack of flourish or aggression while taking on arch rivals — the CPI(M) and the Congress — during his address to BJP workers at Kollam.
The Tripura example
The Prime Minister said the State government’s conduct in the matter was most reprehensible.
“For sometime now, the entire nation has been talking about Sabarimala. The State government’s conduct here will go down in history as one of the most shameful by any party or government.
“We knew that the Communists don’t respect Indian history, culture and spirituality, but nobody imagined they would have such hatred for others,” Modi said. He reminded the CPI(M) about what had happened to its government in Tripura.
BJP President Amit Shah while speaking at Kannur sometime ago said the BJP “would not mind throwing out the government if it continued to play with issues of faith.”
On Ordinance
In Kollam, the Prime Minister also paid to expectations that he would respond to the demand of an Ordinance to restore status quo at Sabarimala.
He did not respond to the State BJP President PS Sreedharan Pillai’s entreaties for action with respect to ‘police excesses’ on party workers during peaceful demonstrations.
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