Kapil Sibal.
The Congress high command may have welcomed the Supreme Court judgment throwing open the doors of Sabarimala temple to women of all ages, but the party’s legal eagles are advising the KPCC to mount a challenge in the apex court against the verdict. Senior Congress leader P C Chacko, who has been asked to coordinate the legal battle by Kerala PCC, has spoken to Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Kapil Sibal. Singhvi, Chacko said, will appear in the review petition filed by Congress leader and Tranvancore Devaswom Board former chairman Prayar Gopalakrishnan. In case of an unfavourable verdict, Sibal has advised Chacko to explore the possibility of filing a writ petition under Article 32. Sources in the KPCC said Congress president Rahul Gandhi is aware of its plan to mount a legal challenge.
New Names
With the BJP fighting anti-incumbency in three states —- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh —- there has been speculation that the leadership will make visible changes in the candidates’ list. When the CEC released its list for Chhattisgarh, 14 sitting MLAs were dropped. This, party sources said, is an indication of what would happen in the other states. A top party leader said that something similar could happen in Madhya Pradesh, and did not rule out drastic changes in the candidates’ list for Rajasthan, where the party is fighting a fierce battle against the Congress.
Back In Spotlight
With the Ram temple in Ayodhya back in the spotlight, the state government is again planning grand Diwali celebrations there. The BJP and RSS have created Ayodhya Mahanagar as a separate unit. According to sources in the RSS, the decision to create a new mahanagar unit was taken because the UP government has made Ayodhya a separate municipal corporation. All the prominent religious places, including the disputed site, and residences of all senior politicians of the district are located in Ayodhya.