A day after the poll authority here gagged parties from raising the Sabarimala issue in the run up to the elections, a political slugfest appeared to loom over Kerala’s political horizon with the BJP and Congress opposing the move and ruling CPI(M) backing it.
Senior BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan, who arrived here on Monday to a rousing reception after resigning as Mizoram Governor, said the matter was about beliefs and added that the BJP would approach the Chief Election Commissioner on this issue.
“The directive not to use the Sabarimala issue during the time of elections is baseless.
The issue being raised here is that of freedom of religion... It is the issue of freedom of worship and about rituals and beliefs,” he told reporters here.
The senior saffron party leader, who was at the helm of several campaigns in the past like a drive against an international airport at Aranmula, said the matter was not confined to the hill shrine alone, indicating his party was not prepared to immediately toe the poll authority’s diktat.
However, the ruling CPI(M) has backed the Chief Electoral Officer’s stand. The Opposition Congress, which had extended support to Lord Ayyappa devotees at the time of the Sabarimala agitation, came out against state Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena’s directive, asking how such a grave issue should not be raised during the elections.
Meena on Tuesday said whether it was the Sabarimala temple, a church or mosque, these should not be used to solicit votes as it would be a violation of the model code of conduct. Reacting to the directive, BJP state general secretary K Surendran had already said Monday the state government’s stand on the Sabarimala issue would surely be an election issue.