Guarding Sabarimala or political ploy in making?

KOchi: amount sabbatum, sep 20, o'er 3000 delegates testament walk onto the banks of the river Pampa at the foothills of the Sabarimala temple to take part in the ‘Agola Ayyappa Sangamam’ (Global Ayyappa Conclave), a first-of-its-kind assembly of Ayyappa devotees being organised by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), an autonomous body under the State government, with the aim of promoting the hill shrine as a global pilgrimage destination.However, the religious event, which ran into choppy waters in the Kerala high court before being greenlit earlier this month, has acquired political dimensions. Opposition parties like the Congress and the BJP have dubbed it as a ‘political gimmick’ by the CPM-led government to appease Hindu voters, especially Ayyappa devotees, ahead of elections. Kerala is scheduled to host local body polls in December this year and Assembly elections in April-May next year. The CPI(M)’s stand on the entry of women of all ages at the Sabarimala temple in the backdrop of the 2018 Supreme Court judgement is analysed by many as the reason behind its drubbing in the 2019 polls and the gradual erosion of Hindu votes.The one-day Sangamam, to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the morning, is set to feature three academic panel sessions on topics like the Sabarimala development masterplan, developing a spiritual tourism circuit around the temple and converting it into a global pilgrimage hub and ways to control crowds especially during the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku festival. The participating delegates will be able to offer their suggestions in verbal or written forms, which will be examined by a committee to be set up by the government later.“The cost for the one-day conclave is set to be around ₹7 crore which will be met entirely through sponsorships. The TDB or the government is not spending any funds on it. The process will be transparent,” Kerala’s temple affairs minister VN Vasavan told reporters on Friday after overseeing the arrangements in Pampa.“In last year’s annual pilgrimage season, around 53.6 lakh people visited the temple. There are separate figures of pilgrims coming every month. It shows that the number of pilgrims will only rise in the years to come. The broad vision behind the conclave is generate ideas to lift Sabarimala as a global pilgrimage destination and ensure proper facilities for the devotees,” he added, denying any political ambitions behind the event.However, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal struck a different stand by saying that the people of Kerala have not forgotten the events of 2018. He was referring to the protests unleashed by several pilgrim groups against the SC judgement allowing entry of women of all ages at the Sabarimala temple and the then LDF government’s stand favouring the judgement. At the time, the government’s tacit assistance to a number of women to offer prayers at the temple during the agitation had created a furore.“I am also an Ayyappa devotee and have been visiting Sabarimala every year for the past 34 years. The 2018 events saddened me as a devotee. After 7 years, the government has come up with this conclave. If it wanted to do something for Sabarimala, why did it take so long? If it is being held right before elections, it is not hypocrisy?” he questioned.Senior BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan also alleged political motives behind the conclave.“A detailed blueprint for the development of Sabarimala, including crowd-control measures and infra development, is already there before the Devaswom department. Why are they spending ₹7 crore to discuss this? It’s not a new idea. So this conclave is a political gimmick and raises doubts about the government’s actual vision about the temple,” he said.J Prabhash, retired political science professor and a key observer of the state’s politics, said the Ayyappa conclave is clear evidence of the erosion of the secular credentials of the CPM-led government and it’s greed for power.“It shows that the Left is prepared to walk any distance and befriend all community organisations in a bid to return to power. After the Ayyappa conclave, the government may also hold a ‘nyunapaksha’ (minority) conference. It is competitive communalism. Through the Ayyappa sangamam, it wants to win back the Hindu votes and at the same time, it also wants to hold on to its Muslim support by appeasing outfits like the Samastha,” Prabhash told HT.Recent elections to the Lok Sabha have shown that the CPM’s core support base of Hindus has splintered and a section of it has drifted away to the BJP. In the 2024 LS elections, the LDF vote % dropped by 2.95% while the NDA rose by 2.6%. In constituencies like Alappuzha and Attingal, the LDF vote-share dropped by 8% and 1.2% while the NDA in the same seats rose by 11% and 6.6% respectively, indicating the drift of Hindus votes, particularly from the OBC Ezhava community, from CPM to BJP.Prabhash said the Ayyappa conclave is unlikely to help the Left in the forthcoming elections. “No party gets votes by organising such events and raising issues based on religion and caste. If that was the case, BJP would win here every time.”Sreejith Panicker, a political analyst, also termed the event a ‘political ploy’ to consolidate Hindu votes before elections.“I’m saying it’s a political stunt because the LDF government’s earlier stated policy on women’s entry at Sabarimala does not align with the belief systems of the temple or this conclave. The Left had said earlier that the exclusion of women of all ages from Sabarimala was violative of constitutional principles under Article 17. They said it was violative of gender equality. What is their stated position now? Will they clarify to the devotees at the conclave about their stated policy? The government still has not withdrawn its affidavit in the Supreme Court supporting women’s entry,” he said.He said that the CPI(M) understands that its principal voter base of Ezhavas has drifted in large numbers to the BJP.“The conclave is essentially a political correction. It has nothing to do with Sabarimala or safeguarding Hindu beliefs,” he added.