Interim Congress president in Kerala M.M. Hassan has courted controversy with the remarks that menstruation makes women impure and they should not enter temples at that time. “Women become impure during menstruation. They cannot enter temples during this period,” he told a seminar on ‘Media and Politics’ on Monday.
Mr. Hassan on Tuesday sought to clarify that it was not his personal opinion and that he had only stated the prevailing “social situation.”
A group of women participants at the seminar had protested the remark, terming it “anti-women”.
“My remark about impurity is not my opinion... I only said (about) the prevailing social condition,” Mr. Hassan told reporters.
‘Remark distorted’
“Muslim and Hindu women during their menstruation period, on their own, used to keep away from places of worship. This is the social situation that exists. I had only explained this when a participant asked a question in this regard at the seminar,” he added. Mr. Hassan also claimed that his statement had been distorted by a section of the media. “Whether I am supporting it or not is not the point. It is the social situation,” he said, adding “political parties cannot change the customs and traditions of religions.”
Asked about his opinion on the ban on entry of girls and women in the age group of 10-50 into the famous Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala, he said political parties were not religious reformers.
“We (political parties) respect the customs and traditions of religions,” he said.
