'RSS leaders moved SC in 2006, seeking entry of all women into Sabarimala'

Kerala Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran Thursday sought to turn the tables on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on the Sabarimala issue, claiming that hardcore Sangh leaders had moved the Supreme Court 12 years ago, seeking entry of women of all ages into the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa.

He also equated the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) five-day march from Pandalam to Thiruvananthapuram on the issue with the "rath yatra" organised by the saffron party to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

Surendran's statement came amid mounting protests in Kerala against the government's alleged hasty move to implement the apex court order, allowing the entry of women of all age-groups into Sabarimala.

In Thiruvananthapuram, a march by the Yuva Morcha activists to the residence of Surendran turned violent Thursday, leading to the police using water cannons and tear-gas shells to disperse the crowd.

The trouble started when the activists tried to break the barricades put up by the police a few metres from the minister's house.

Flaying the BJP's "Save Sabarimala Yatra", which commenced Wednesday, Surendran, a CPI(M) leader, said, "The long march reminds us of the old rath yatra of the BJP."