The protests against the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages to worship at the Sabarimala temple may have provided a window for the BJP to make inroads into the bipolar polity of Kerala. The party State unit has made no secret of its support to protests against the verdict.
An emotional issue woven around a seeming undermining of Hindu rituals and practices, seems tailor-made for the party to rally around.
Nationally, however, the party is still careful in articulating its views, including whether it supports the entry of women of menstruating age into the Ayyappa temple.
P. Muralidhar Rao, BJP general secretary in charge of Kerala, told The Hindu that the party had “responded positively” to the protests against the judgment. Party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said she personally supported Justice Indu Malhotra’s dissent note in the judgment.
‘Spontaneous protests’
“Protests against the Supreme Court judgment sprang up spontaneously in Kerala, and the BJP has responded to it positively,” Mr. Rao said. He said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should have offered to meet representatives of the Pandalam Palace and priests of the temple with an “open mind” rather than to just “discuss the issue”. He alluded to the refusal of the Left Democratic Front government’s refusal to file a review petition over the judgment.
At a press conference, Ms. Lekhi said that while “personally my views are those of Justice Indu Malhotra” expressed as a dissent note in the judgment, she would not like to answer more questions on the issue as the “matter was sub judice”.
At least three review petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court. Justice Malhotra, in her dissent note, held that freedom of religion and its practices were not be read with equality before law and not to be equated with statutory provisions made to end discrimination against Dalits.
Crack in vote bank
That the issue is raising emotions in the State is obvious. The BJP and the Congress jumping into the fray is explained by the fact that a large part of Hindu communities in Kerala have been traditional supporters of the Left.
The BJP, looking for an ingress into Kerala, which has so far resisted being incorporated into the party’s sphere of influence, finds the issue convenient at this point.
Pressure from Hindu groups has already seen the RSS step in and demand exploring legal options to overturn the verdict.
With protests continuing and review petitions in court, the BJP is hoping that the temple entry issue will be its entry point into Kerala politics.
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