Why Sabarimala pilgrimage is a kid-glove affair for Govt every year?
With the annual sabarimala pilgrimage beginning on november 16 and ending on december 27, followed by the Makaravilakku festival at the famed mountain temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappan, the days ahead are busy for the kerala government's devaswom department and the Travancore Devaswom Board.
At the sabarimala temple in the pathanamthitta district, preparations are on to offer the greatest amenities to the thousands of pilgrims who are anticipated to travel from all over the nation. Given the flurry of controversies since the supreme court lifted the ban on women of menstrual age entering the shrine in 2018 and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government braved political protests to implement the verdict in letter and spirit, there is an invisible pressure on the authorities to get everything right.
The pinarayi vijayan government's attitude of executing the sabarimala ruling was perceived as the political cost of the CPI(M)-led LDF's crushing defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which saw them win only one of the 20 seats and receive a 36.29 percent vote-share. After it was believed that many Hindu women in the state had voted against the CPI(M) for allowing women to enter the temple under police protection, the party lost several of its strongholds.
The congress benefited from the LDF's vote drain, not the saffron camp, despite the BJP, supported by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, leading vehement demonstrations against the supreme Court's decision.
Since then, the ruling Left has found sabarimala and the yearly pilgrimage to be politically delicate issues. The administration makes every effort to minimize the controversies as the pilgrimage season progresses.
"Last year, police restricted darshan to 80,000 pilgrims alone, ruining the annual pilgrimage season. Numerous individuals from other states were forced to return without darshan. On-the-spot registration was prohibited by the authorities this year. However, it was implemented at three locations along the route to the temple after protests, a top Travancore Devaswom Board official informed india HERALD.
At the sabarimala temple in the pathanamthitta district, preparations are on to offer the greatest amenities to the thousands of pilgrims who are anticipated to travel from all over the nation. Given the flurry of controversies since the supreme court lifted the ban on women of menstrual age entering the shrine in 2018 and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government braved political protests to implement the verdict in letter and spirit, there is an invisible pressure on the authorities to get everything right.
The pinarayi vijayan government's attitude of executing the sabarimala ruling was perceived as the political cost of the CPI(M)-led LDF's crushing defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which saw them win only one of the 20 seats and receive a 36.29 percent vote-share. After it was believed that many Hindu women in the state had voted against the CPI(M) for allowing women to enter the temple under police protection, the party lost several of its strongholds.
The congress benefited from the LDF's vote drain, not the saffron camp, despite the BJP, supported by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, leading vehement demonstrations against the supreme Court's decision.
Since then, the ruling Left has found sabarimala and the yearly pilgrimage to be politically delicate issues. The administration makes every effort to minimize the controversies as the pilgrimage season progresses.
"Last year, police restricted darshan to 80,000 pilgrims alone, ruining the annual pilgrimage season. Numerous individuals from other states were forced to return without darshan. On-the-spot registration was prohibited by the authorities this year. However, it was implemented at three locations along the route to the temple after protests, a top Travancore Devaswom Board official informed india HERALD.