Thiruvananthapuram: “SNDP Yogam respects the sentiments of Ayyappa devotees and wants that women members in the age group of 10 – 50 should stay away from Sabarimala,” according to Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan.
Referring to the long march led by BJP state president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai against the Supreme Court verdict on Sabarimala, Mr Natesan said the Yogam was against any agitations on the issue.
“I have learnt that thousands of protestors gathered in front of the secretariat at the culmination of the long march. But who has benefited out of this surge? SNDP Yogam is not keen to hit the streets on the issue,” he said. ‘ Yoganadam,’ the mouthpiece of SNDP Yogam, had written in its editorial soon after the SC order that it stood by the Ayyappa devotees. Mr Natesan also supported Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s stand not to file a review petition against the judgment. But he had written to 138 unions under SNDP Yogam across the state and in West Asia saying that girl/women devotees belonging to the Ezhava community in the age group between 10 and 50 years should stay away from the holy shrine. He hoped that over eight lakh Ezhava community members spread across the globe will heed his call.
At the concluding session of the five-day-long march in front of the secretariat, BDJS president Tushar Vellapally was allowed to address the crowd, while the other NDA ally, Kerala Congress leader P.C. Thomas, was kept off. The BJP leadership wants to appease Mr Tushar and also the BDJS leaders who are aggrieved with the BJP over many issues. Mr Tushar was present throughout the march.
