Thiruvananthapuram sources stated that kerala Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran on tuesday asked the bjp, which has welcomed the recent supreme court order on ayodhya, to also respect the apex court verdict on sabarimala permitting women of all ages to pray at the Lord Ayyappa shrine.
Meanwhile Surendran, who was replying to a question posed by the lone bjp legislator O Rajagopal, also asked the saffron party not to encourage "goons and anti-socials" to go to Sabarimala. Rajagopal had sought a reply from the minister on the arrangements made at the hilltop shrine ahead of the annual pilgrimage season. Furthermore the bjp member alleged that the number of devotees to the shrine came down last year and wondered why the Left government supported the entry of "atheist, Left activists" and others into the temple.
When countering it, Surendran said, "Please don't encourage anti-socials and goons to go to sabarimala like last time", an apparent reference to violence during the protest against entry of young women. Perhaps the minister said facilities have been arranged for keeping the sacred offerings of around 6,500 devotees while a total of 1,161 toilets, 160 bathrooms and 150 urinals had been set up. Moreover the shrine had witnessed protests by devotees and right outfits against the LDF government's decision to implement the supreme court verdict in 2018 allowing all women, including those in the menstruating age, to offer prayers at the hill shrine.
