The Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tried every trick in his book to crush the peaceful protest of Bhagwan Ayyappa devotees on the Sabarimala issue but suffered an abject failure. The brutal action adopted by his government turned a peaceful and serene place of worship-Sabarimala Temple- into a war zone and this callous attitude towards Bhagwan Ayyappa devotees is going to be the final nail in the coffin for the communist rule in Kerala. He also knows this and that’s why now he is spreading conspiracy theories. CM Pinarayi Vijayan put the entire blame of violent protests triggered in Sabarimala Temple on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
While addressing the media after Sabarimala temple fiasco, CM Vijayan said, “The Sangh parivar is behind this. The protestors started checking the devotees whether they are devotees or not. There were attacks against women and some journalists were also attacked. The Sangh parivar wee seen targeting the people and journalists. People have witnessed them on news channels. This was done by Sangh parivar. They even attacked those women’s houses. Those protesting were not devotees, but the people of Sangh parivar. There is a big conspiracy behind this. Few voice messages were also circulated. These protests were not in the moment kind but a very well planned one. RSS turned Sabarimala into a battle zone instead of a pilgrim place. In the name of devotion, they are doing such things. The state will not allow RSS and their members to convert the pilgrim place into a war zone.”
Kerala government made it clear in front of the Supreme Court that it will implement the verdict. The govt arranged all facilities. Neither govt nor the police tried to block the devotees. RSS tried to make #SabarimalaTemple a war zone: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan pic.twitter.com/L0nK6GUrRl
— ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2018
People were quick to expose his lies on social media. They pointed how Kerala police was supporting self acclaimed feminist activists Rehana Fathima, reporter Kavitha Jakkal and Matry Sweety to enter into temples and the state police also mishandled the devotees. Marys and Fatimas trying to enter the temple while local women being opposed to it, shows that those trying to enter the temple despite protests by devotees, did not have very good intentions. It became clear that they were trying to enter the temple only to hurt the sentiments of the Hindus and the devotees of Bhagwan Ayyappa. It is beyond comprehension that when local devotees abstain from visiting the shrine totally out of respect for Bhagwan Ayyappa’s celibacy, then why Muslim and Christian women should be bothered about entering the shrine. It is clear that they had no real devotion towards the shrine. They were trying to enter the Sabarimala temple only in order to provoke the Hindus and hurt the sentiments of the real devotees.
The communist CM Vijayan remained insensitive towards the real devotees and their sentiments. Showcasing his biased and concocted form of secularism, he stated, “At a time when women are getting ready to go to Mars, some people are saying that women shouldn’t enter a temple. The aim of certain groups is to make sure that Sabarimala becomes a battlefield. Nobody can break the secular fabric of Kerala.”
After the apex court of India allowed the entry of women of all ages into the Kerala’s famous Sabarimala Temple, the protests are pervasive all over the state. The verdict has led to unprecedented Hindu unity in Kerala. The cabal described the verdict as a giant step towards gender equality, a major blow to patriarchy, women’s liberation etc. Interestingly enough the verdict which has been considered as pro-women is being vehemently opposed by the women of the state. It is the women of Kerala who are leading the protest against the verdict of the Supreme Court on Sabarimala. However, Kerala CM Vijayan did not paid any heed to the feelings of Bhagwan Ayyappa devotees and decided to implement the SC verdict in letter and spirit. He clearly refused to see the writing on the wall. He had said, “Devotees have been divided since the beginning. The Supreme Court considered all divergent views before announcing the final verdict. Our government accepts the decision. No woman who wants to go to Sabarimala can be stopped.” He has also maintained that his government will not file any review petition. The voices within the party who hinted at filing a review petition earned the displeasure of the Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan. Travancore Devaswom Board chief and CPM leader A. Padmakumar is one of them.
The CM in his recent press conference tried to reach out to the devotees. He said, “Faith and belief of the devotees should be respected, that’s the stand of the government. The decision on Sabarimala temple was Supreme Court’s, not government’s. Peace should be maintained, the government does not want to turn Sabarimala into a violence place. The government were not with those who were against the verdict.” However, he still maintained that his government will protect ‘everyone’ who wish to enter the temple premises. He added, “We will make arrangements that criminals are kept out and only devotees are allowed inside. The state cannot afford this kind of violence. It’s the responsibility of the state to provide protection to the people.” It seems he has still not learnt any lesson and is adamant to go against the wishes of the people and disrespect the feelings of the devotees by allowing the entry of women of all ages into the temple.
Since, the SC verdict has come out, the Communist government has completely mishandled the issue and now they are blaming the RSS. And even if the RSS is supporting the devotees then what’s wrong in it? There is no rule that only communists can organize protests. The RSS is supporting the feelings and sentiments of Bhagwan Ayyappa at a time when the state government has shown complete disregard to their feelings. In this battle of ‘dharma’ vs ‘adharma’, RSS is supporting Dharma and the communists are against it. Labeling the peaceful protest of Bhagwan Ayyappa devotees as violent, shows the corrupt mentality of CM Vijayan and this corrupt mentality of the communist chief minister will ensure the complete eradication of communist rule from Kerala.
