Kerala Congress leader, tasked with ‘exploring possibilities’ on the Sabarimala issue, files review plea.
New Delhi: The Congress has decided to throw its weight behind devotees opposing the Supreme Court ruling allowing the entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years into Kerala’s Sabarimala temple, a belated move to counter the BJP’s attempts to gain political capital out of the agitation.
On Tuesday, a Congress leader from Kerala filed a review petition in the Supreme Court on the Sabarimala issue, with senior party leader and advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi as his counsel.
The review petition was filed by Prayar Gopalakrishnan, a former president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) that manages the hill shrine in Kerala. He is also a former Congress MLA.
“As per our information, 20 persons have filed review petitions including one by Gopalakrishnan that is supported by the Congress party,” said P.C. Chacko, former MP and senior Congress leader. “The petition was filed Tuesday and is likely to be heard on 13 November. Abhishek Manu Singhvi will appear on his behalf.”
Gopalakrishnan had been assigned the task of exploring all possibilities, including a review plea by the party.
Confirming the move, Gopalakrishnan said: “I had filed an application Tuesday and have been given the registration number today. I have filed this petition on behalf of the Congress party.”
Party to focus on religious angle
A senior Congress leader said that while the party was not questioning the Supreme Court judgment from the gender justice angle, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee had conveyed its displeasure at the ruling on the grounds of religion and tradition.
“It is not an issue only of Hindus. Muslims and Christians too are of the view that the practice in the temple has been followed for years and it is related to people’s faith and tradition,” said the senior leader. “No tinkering with tradition and people’s faith should be allowed. The Kerala unit had politically taken the decision unanimously to support the agitation”.
Chacko accused the BJP of using the Sabarimala issue to make a case for imposing the Uniform Civil Code.
“There is a bigger design behind this move. The BJP is of the belief that all this unrest would lead to a situation that will become conducive for introducing a common civil code,” he said.
The Congress move comes after the state government and the Devaswom Board decided not to file review petitions.
Another party leader said it had also consulted party veteran Kapil Sibal on the issue.
“The party had consulted with Sibal. There is a provision of filing a curative petition and if that is also rejected, Article 32, on fundamental rights, can be invoked and a writ petition can be filed,” the leader said. “But these are just the legal steps that can be taken. So far, no decision has been taken on them”.
The BJP route
The BJP has been backing the protesters and the Congress now seems to be making a desperate bid to catch up with the saffron party in the race for the orthodox Hindu votes in the Left-ruled state.
BJP workers had launched a protest in Thiruvananthapuram that had gained the support of worshippers. A number of party leaders, including Muralidhar Rao, had taken part in the protests.
The BJP and the Congress had demanded that the government file a review petition asking it to highlight the sentiments of devotees, the privacy of the deity as well as the thousand-year-old culture.
The apex court verdict had led to protests on its decision to throw open to all women the doors of the temple to celibate god Ayyappa, ending a centuries-old tradition that barred women between the menstruating age of 10 and 50.