Thiruvananthapuram: Eight years after it welcomed the Supreme Court’s landmark verdict allowing women’s entry into the famed Sabarimala shrine in Kerala, the state’s Left Democratic Front (LDF) government seems to have softened its stance on the matter, reiterating that the issue should be decided in consultation with experts.
The state government informed the same to the Supreme Court in an affidavit filed Saturday.
The move, in the run-up to assembly polls, assumes significance as the LDF had faced a major setback in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, losing 19 of the 20 seats it had contested. Government support for the verdict had also led to widespread protests and clashes in the state.
According to the Kerala government, the issue of women’s entry to the shrine should be discussed with experts and pandits who know about the social conditions.
Talking to the media Saturday, Minister for Devaswoms V.N. Vasavan said the state’s response to the court was the same as that in 2007, that a decision on the matter should be taken after wider consultation.
Talking about the LDF’s earlier position, supporting women’s entry, he said: “When the Supreme Court issues a verdict, do we have the freedom to talk against it? Who announced that verdict? BJP’s women lawyers in Delhi. Then Janmabhumi (Malayalam-language daily recognised as BJP’s mouthpiece in Kerala) said it was a ‘historic’ verdict.”
“We just said we respect the SC verdict. But on the same matter, we had informed in 2007 that the decision should be in consultation with experts,” he added, saying the party (CPM-led LDF) has always said it supports the believers.
CPM general secretary M.A. Baby told the media that the Supreme Court had sought the state’s stand not just on Sabarimala, but on all religious places, expanding its scope and reassessing its own verdict. He said though the party has its own opinion, it cannot say it should be implemented as it is.
He further said the government’s view can be interpreted as change of opinion, but the party will only give advice considering the ground situation.
“The party will have opinions on all religious places. But political parties should take decisions on such matters based on social situations and consensus. The Constitution mentions fundamental rights, but when we implement them, it shouldn’t lead to clashes. It’s mentioned in the Constitution itself. And there are examples in history of how matters relating to religious institutions have become controversial.”
“The Left front didn’t try to implement its decision, but that of the Supreme Court. When the verdict came, all political parties welcomed it, but some changed their stand the same day itself. The Supreme Court itself is reassessing its decision, based on what happened,” Baby said.
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What happened earlier
The matter dates to September 2018, when the Supreme Court in a 4:1 majority ruled that the ban on entry of women in the 10-50 age group to the Sabarimala shrine was unconstitutional.
The ruling LDF and the CPI(M) welcomed the verdict, with then CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, in a Facebook post, terming it a significant step towards ensuring that women are not discriminated against in any field in society.
Janmabhumi then published an editorial which argued that there was no logic in the ban and that women’s entry would result in increasing the temple’s fame and glory. Congress’s national leadership too welcomed the verdict, but the state leadership soon raised concerns over devotees’ sentiments.
Within days, both the Congress and the BJP hit the ground with ‘Save Sabarimala’ campaigns, with the BJP later scaling up the campaign to public protests. In a leaked audio clip that went viral, then BJP state president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai was heard telling party workers that the issue was a “golden opportunity” for the party in the state.
Amid the protests, the ruling LDF organised a statewide “renaissance” campaign, including the “Women’s Wall”. In January 2019, two women, Bindu Ammini, 40, and Kanakadurga, 39, entered the shrine under police protection.
In the subsequent Lok Sabha polls, the LDF suffered a massive setback, losing 19 of 20 seats to the UDF, except the Alappuzha constituency.
By 2021, the LDF government had apparently softened its stance and said it had no option other than implementing the SC verdict, while reiterating that it wanted to stand with believers.
The government also held a Global Ayyappa Sangamam in September last year, emphasising the Sabarimala temple’s “inclusive image” and unveiled multiple infrastructure projects aimed at ensuring better access to the shrine, all of which was considered a remediation measure.
On Friday, CPM state secretary M.V. Govindan reiterated that the party had decided that the government should take a decision on the matter based on the ground realities and existing legal framework. He said the Supreme Court had asked seven questions, which did not include whether women should be allowed into the temple, but concerned all religions. He said the government has always reiterated that the matter should be decided after consulting experts.
“Have we ever worked against the emotions of believers? We always consider that,” Govindan told the media.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)