Amid indications that the Left government in Kerala, which had been in favor of allowing women of all ages to enter the famous Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala, may be softening its stance in the Supreme Court, the opposition Congress and the BJP on Friday termed it a "political maneuver" to gain votes in the upcoming elections.
The government has remained silent on the matter, but ruling CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said on Friday that the party's position has always been that a decision should be made after consultation with experts and "pundits" in the field, regarding the protection of customs.
Although local media interpreted this as a "U-turn" by the Left government, some legal experts say the party was actually referring to a 2008 affidavit filed before the Supreme Court by the government led by V S Achuthanandan.
The government had then requested the appointment of a commission consisting of eminent scholars with authentic knowledge of Hinduism and reputable, uncorrupt social reformers to submit suggestions and views on whether women of all ages should be allowed to enter the Sabarimala temple and worship.
At a press conference, Govindan claimed that the Supreme Court has not asked whether women's entry at Sabarimala should be allowed or not.
"We have to respond to seven questions, and none of them ask whether women should be allowed entry into Sabarimala or not. This is not just about Sabarimala; it's a constitutional issue before the Supreme Court that concerns all religions," he said.
Reacting to the media reports regarding the alleged U-turn of the government on the matter, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said the government's change of stance on women's entry to Sabarimala is a strategy aimed at overcoming public resentment against the government ahead of the upcoming elections.
"This is an insincere and opportunistic reversal," he said.
According to him, those who carried out "gold looting" in Sabarimala and misappropriation in the name of the Global Ayyappa Conclave were now trying to create another platform for deception through such maneuvers.
He alleged that they were the same people who earlier forced women to enter the temple under police protection.
"In connection with that, they organized the Women's Wall, Renaissance Assembly and Samithi in the name of social reform. Now they are again staging new exercises and dramas," Joseph said.
He also said the current action is a clear example of the lack of a consistent policy within the CPI(M). He added that the party should openly admit that its previous policies were wrong.
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that it is because of the continuous pressure from the BJP-led NDA and from lakhs of Ayyappa devotees that the government led by Pinarayi Vijayan has now been forced to revise the affidavit in the Supreme Court.
Everyone in Kerala knows that this is not out of respect for Ayyappa devotees, but merely a "political drama" born out of fear of a severe electoral backlash, he said.
"If (Chief Minister) Pinarayi Vijayan now realises that what was done in 2018 was wrong, he should be ready to immediately withdraw the thousands of cases filed by the government against Ayyappa devotees. That should be implemented right away," Chandrasekhar said in a Facebook post.
He alleged that, for the sake of power, the Congress and the CPI(M) will do anything.
"The same people who trample centuries-old traditions and stand complicit in the alleged gold looting in Sabarimala will also organise a Global Ayyappa Meet to deceive devotees," he alleged.
The BJP leader said that since 2018 his party-led alliance has maintained a firm stand. "We do not mix politics with faith. We fight to serve the people and to protect the traditions of devotees."
"As an Ayyappa devotee, along with millions of devotees around the world, I firmly say one thing -- we will neither forget nor forgive the cruelty shown by the Left in attempting to destroy faith, nor the hypocrisy of Congress, which turned away when devotees were brutally persecuted," he said.
Chandrasekhar said the BJP will not allow Sabarimala to be destroyed any more.
The prevailing practice at Sabarimala restricts the entry of women of menstruating age at the Lord Ayyappa temple.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the Sabarimala shrine, recently said it will file an affidavit before the Supreme Court to preserve existing traditions when the court considers petitions related to the entry of women of menstruating age at the hill shrine.
In 2018, the Supreme Court allowed the entry of women of menstruating age into the Sabarimala temple, a move supported by the CPI (M) at the time.
The review petitions are currently under consideration, and the apex court has asked the aggrieved parties, including the state government, to state their stand before March 14.