Thiruvananthapuram : The Sabarimala Karma Samithi has found a golden opportunity to raise the Sabarimala issue ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the state on April 23 and launched an agitation in front of the Secretariat here on Saturday. Its leaders demanded an end to the harassment of its activists in the name of breach of law and order, but the LDF and UDF have accused them of violating the election code of conduct.
The LDF will take it up with the Election Commission alleging that the samiti is an RSS outfit. Congress leader Oommen Chandy said “the BJP campaign to cash in on Sabarimala will not succeed.”
The BJP was getting exposed on the Sabar-imala issue, he said and asked why its government had not brought in an ordinance on it earlier.
The protest was launched a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed an election rally in Kozhikode and said the BJP will protect the faith of the believers.
The samiti protesters, including women, squatted in front of the secretariat and held a ‘namajapa’ protest by chanting Lord Ayyappa hymns. The samiti had led the agitation against the LDF government’s decision to implement the Supreme Court order allowing women of all age groups to enter Sabarimala shrine. The samiti was lying low till a few days ago. But now posters against implicating the devotees in various criminal cases have sprung up across the state.
The samiti office-bearers have openly challenged the Election Commission orders.
Swami Chidananda Puri of the Kolathur Advaitha Ashram, who inaugurated the namajapam, said, “we have decided to continue our protests on the Sabarimala issue during the course of the Lok Sabha elections. It will not be a violation of the model code of conduct as the outfit is neither a political party nor a political entity,” he said.
Hindu Aikya Vedi president K.P. Sasikala said the samiti would stand with the devotees in their protest.
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