Terming the Ayyappa Bhakta Sangamam held at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday as an elitist event, Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan has accused a few people of playing politics on the pretext of safeguarding spirituality.
Talking to mediapersons at Ettumanur on Monday, he said the event indeed played host to consolidation of a few elite sections of society.
“The meet hardly had any representation from caste groups other than a few elitist groups and it would have been a great mistake if I attended it,” he said.
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Regarding the errors on the list of women who prayed at the Sabarimala temple, Mr. Natesan termed the entire episode a botched- up affair that served as a major setback to the State government.
“While a few attempted to take advantage of the Sabarimala issue, only the BJP could gain something from it by putting forward the Hindutva agenda. But it remains to be seen how far this will impact the outcome of the coming Lok Sabha election,” he said.
Though the women’s wall was a great success, it failed in its purpose with the women of restricted age group entering the Sabarimala temple the very next day.
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As far as the Sabarimala issue is concerned, the State government needs to assess the impact of the advises it receives before implementing them, he said.