Palakkad (Kerala), February 17 Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, V D Satheesan, on Tuesday criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for his "silence" on the issue of women's entry into the Sabarimala temple and accused the state government of attempting to avoid the matter.
Addressing reporters here, Satheesan reiterated his demand that the Left government give a "yes or no" answer on its stand in the contentious issue and correct its earlier affidavit supporting the entry of menstruating age women into the hill shrine.
"The government is avoiding the issue without clearly stating its stand. The chief minister is maintaining silence. They claim they will take the right stand at the right time. They are waiting for the Assembly election to be over," he alleged.
He sought to know whether the government would support the entry of young women into the Sabarimala Temple or oppose it in court.
"That's our question. They can easily give a yes or no answer. When will they take a decision on it?" he asked, accusing CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan of giving an ambiguous reply.
The LoP said the Congress had staged agitations to protect the ritual practices and traditions at Sabarimala. He alleged that the Vijayan government had tried to implement the Supreme Court of India verdict allowing the entry of young women into Sabarimala by force in 2018.
He also urged the government to convince the court that changes in traditional practices should not occur through judicial intervention.
The women's entry issue has returned to centre stage as an election plank in poll-bound Kerala, with opposition parties demanding clarity from the Left government, which had earlier backed the move, triggering widespread protests.
The issue gained fresh attention after the Supreme Court on Monday reopened the case, announcing that a nine-judge bench would begin final hearings on a batch of petitions concerning discrimination against women in religions and places of worship, including Sabarimala.
Under pressure from prominent Hindu caste organisations and the opposition Congress and BJP, the Left government has said the Sabarimala women's entry issue involves several constitutional complexities and that an appropriate stand would be taken after discussions.
The Opposition has urged the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government to immediately submit a revised affidavit to the Supreme Court.
Clarifying the government’s position, State Law Minister P Rajeev on Tuesday said the matter could not be reduced to a "yes or no" answer and noted that even the apex court had made it clear that it would take up the review petitions only after addressing seven constitutional questions.
