Sabarimala Temple: Congress stage protest ahead of one-day opening

Ahead of the opening of the Sabarimala Temple for one-day special prayers, the leaders of the Congress party in Kerala held a protest in Pathanamthitta district on Sunday against the Supreme Court verdict allowing the entry women of all age groups in the temple.

The temple will be opened for a day from the evening of November 5 to the evening of November 6.

Speaking to ANI, Congress leaders PJ Kurien and Ramesh Chennithala accused the Centre and the state governments of politicising the issue instead of finding a solution to it.

The former deputy speaker of Rajya Sabha, PJ Kurien, told ANI, "We don't want any violence, but the government (state) is trying to enforce the Supreme Court's order, trying to allow women between 10-50 years to enter the temple. My view is that the government (state) should call the interest of all parties and try to settle the issue."

He suggested that similar to the Jallikattu row, an ordinance can be issued to solve the problem.

"The government (state) can move to the court to review the order and try to find a solution, instead of converting Sabarimala into a place of conflict. Similar to the Jallikattu, an ordinance can be issued. If that is done, the whole problem will be solved," he said.

Echoing the same sentiment, Ramesh Chennithala told ANI, "We want peace in Sabarimala. There should be a conducive atmosphere for all the pilgrims to go to Sabarimala. There is no pilgrim only police force at Sabarimala, this is atrocious. They (Centre and State governments) are creating problems and not doing anything for the pilgrims. There is a sizable decrease in the number of pilgrims in Sabarimala."

Meanwhile, the police have not received any request from any woman for security assistance in order to visit the sanctum sanctorum. Keeping in view with the ongoing conflict over the Supreme Court's verdict, the state government tightened the security around the temple.