'No confusion between Central and Kerala Cong over Sabarimala'

The Central and Kerala units of the Congress are not "confused" over the Sabarimala issue, actress-turned-party spokesperson Khushboo said here in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh Thursday.

Her remarks came two days after Congress chief Rahul Gandhi acknowledged that his view to allow all women to enter the Sabarimala shrine was different from that of his party's Kerala unit.

"We are not confused on the issue of Sabrimala though there are different opinions (between the Kerala and Central units). For us, the historic decision of the supreme court to grant the entry to women of menstrual age to the Sabarimala temple is supreme.

"At the same time (we are aware) that the thinking of people of Kerala is different on the issue because of the centuries-old tradition (wherein the entry of women of menstrual age is banned)," Khushoo told reporters.

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified its agitation over the Sabarimala issue in Kerala by observing a one-day fast in Thiruvananthapuram on October 30 even as the remarks of Gandhi created ripples in the southern state.

Khushboo said the Congress believes in gender parity.

"We are against differentiating between men and women on the basis of gender, however, we have to understand that traditions and religious beliefs of every region are different," said the national spokesperson.

She said, "Even many women in Kerala are supporting the ancient tradition observed at the Sabrimala temple. It will take us time to understand each other's view points on this issue".

Khushboo accused the BJP of "polarising" voters on the issue, with the motive to carve out a political space for itself in the southern state.

"However, doors of the people of that region are closed for the party (BJP)," she said.

When asked about the growing chorus for construction of a Ram temple on the dispute site in Ayodhya, Khushboo said, "there are more important issues in the country than focusing on constructing a temple or a mosque or renaming Allahabad".

The BJP government Uttar Pradesh last month cleared a proposal to rename Allahabad as Prayagraj.

The Congress spokesperson also targetted the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh for the "spurt in crime against women".

"Though chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan calls himself 'mama' (maternal uncle), he has failed to protect the half of the state's population. During last 15 years under the BJP, crime against women including rapes have gone up," she said, adding that the rate of conviction in rape cases stood at mere 27 per cent in the state.