Left not against Ayyappa devotees and faithful: Kodiyeri

: Admitting that the Sabarimala issue had created a "misunderstanding" among the people, the rulingCPI(M) in Kerala on Tuesday said the Left was not against the Ayyappa devotees and the faithful.

Speaking to reporters here on the second day of CPI(M)'s door-to-door visits to clear the "misunderstandings" on the matter, state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the Left was not against the Ayyappa devotees or the faithful.

"The Left will take necessary steps to correct the misconceptions," he said.

Initially, all political parties had welcomed the Supreme court's September 28 2018 decision, allowing women of all age groups to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala, where earlier girls and women in the 10-50 age group were forbidden, he said.

But later some of the parties changed their stance, Kodiyeri said.

There were allegations that the state government was not able to accommodate those changes, he added.

CPI(M) cadres will visit homes from July 22-28 to talk to the people and clear the air about the government's decision.

The state had witnessed widespread protests by right outfits and BJP after the LDF government decided to implement the Supreme Court verdict.

The massive drubbing received by the ruling front in the Lok Sabha polls is believed to be the fallout of the manner in which the Sabarimala issue was handled.

In the polls held in April, the CPI(M) led LDF had won only one seat-- Alapuzha and the opposition Congress led UDF, the remaining 19 seats.

The CPI(M) had, in a post-poll evaluation report prepared by the central committee and discussed at the state committee last month, admitted that the entry of two women into the Sabarimala temple did cause a "big impact" at the hustings.

A day after the human wall of women was organised by the ruling front on January one, two women had trekked the holy hills and offered worship at the Sabarimala temple.

This was made much use of by the UDF and the BJP during the election campaign, creating a "big impact" among party sympathisers, it was stated in the report.

This was the first time that the CPI(M) had openly admitted that the entry of the two women-- Bindu and Kanakadurga, in their forties, at the Lord Ayyappa temple on January 2 had contributed to the front's defeat.