LDF govt’s Sabarimala affidavit an attempt to mislead devotees, says Chennithala

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday alleged that the new affidavit filed by Kerala’s Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in the Supreme Court on the Sabarimala temple women’s entry issue was an attempt to mislead devotees. He demanded that the affidavit be withdrawn immediately.

Addressing the media in Aluva, Mr. Chennithala said the government had not changed its earlier stand on the matter and the claim that the position had been revised was “completely false.”

He said that on examining the submission, it was clear that the government had not moved “even an inch” from its earlier position. “Instead of clearly informing the apex court that women of menstruating age should not be allowed to enter Sabarimala, the government had merely stated that the court could take an appropriate decision after seeking the opinion of religious leaders and social reformers,” he said. It amounted to the government evading the issue, he added.

Rather than convincing the court that the restriction on women’s entry was an “essential religious practice,” the government continued to adhere to its earlier position that allowed the entry of women of all ages, he alleged.

Chennithala demanded that the government immediately withdraw the submission filed before the Supreme Court and instead fully accept the affidavit submitted earlier by the Oommen Chandy-led UDF government which had clearly stated that women of menstruating age should not be allowed to enter the hill shrine.

He alleged that the government was once again attempting to trample upon the sentiments of devotees. “Believers would recognise the double standards of the government and respond accordingly,” he said.