Congress jumps into Save Sabarimala campaign vanguard

Antony to launch Spurn Communalism, Protect Faith agitation

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Monday said it would place itself in the forefront of the agitation to “protect the ancient traditions and custom” of Sabarimala.

The party’s political affairs committee (PAC), which met here, reversed the organisation’s initial decision not to politicise the emotive social sparring over whether or not to adhere to the Supreme Court’s decision to allow women of childbearing age to worship at the predominantly male-only forest temple.

The Congress has, after protracted deliberations, moved the touchy issue to the front line of its political agenda in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Non-violent drive

Its campaign would be non-violent and opposed to any move to turn Kerala into a conflict zone in the name of Sabarimala.

KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran told journalists here that a galaxy of Congress leaders would lead political rallies across the State in November to “preserve and protect” Sabarimala’s custom.

The AICC working committee member A.K. Antony would launch the Spurn Communalism and Protect Faith campaign.

Casteist camps

Mr. Ramachandran accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of attempting to divide society into warring casteist camps as Sabarimala roiled.

Mr. Vijayan’s FB post had held “upper caste religious fanatics” responsible for the trouble in Sabarimala. Such a comment would divide Kerala, not unify it, the KPCC president said.

The Chief Minister’s FB statement ran against the grain of teachings of Kerala’s renaissance leaders, he said.

The KPCC president acknowledged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had hijacked the Sabarimala campaign from the Nair Service Society (NSS). The BJP jumped into the vanguard of the peaceful NSS campaign and usurped it.

Call to Centre

The Chief Minister should urgently convene the Assembly to pass a resolution seeking the Centre to enact a law to circumvent the SC’s order. He should also call an all-party meeting to take the edge off the explosive situation, the KPCC chief said.

Mr. Ramachandran denied that Oommen Chandy had purposefully skipped the PAC meeting and said the former Chief Minister had been held up in traffic.