N Muraleedharan
Thiruvananthapuram:
The CPI (M)-led LDF Government in Kerala is unlikely to take a pro-active position to allow women of menstrual age to Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to refer to a larger bench the petitions seeking a review of its last year’s order on the vexed issue. Significantly, the apex court ruling has come a couple of days before the gates of the hill shrine are to be opened for the three-month pilgrim season.
In a landmark judgment on September 28, 2018, the Supreme Court lifted the long tradition that barred women of menstrual age worshiping at the temple. After hearing in some detail a clutch of prayers seeking review of the 4 is to 1 majority judgment, the court on Thursday left the matter to a larger bench.
The intention of referring the issue to a 7-judge bench is to have a thorough look at the larger question of whether court can intervene and decide on issues of religious practices when the clash with the basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution. While doing so, the court is also expected to take a broader look at the constitutionality of alleged discriminatory and restrictive practices followed by other faiths as well.
In Sabarimala’s case, the court has not stayed its last year’s order. This would mean that it is well within the right of women in 10-50 age bracket to undertake the arduous pilgrimage to the hill-top temple. The crushing defeat suffered by the LDF in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year was widely attributed to the wrath of the people at the handling of the post-verdict Sabarimala situation by the Pinarayi Vijayan Government. Last time also, the Government chose to avoid a firm position on the issue.
However, the BJP, apparently setting eyes on elections, organized aggressive campaigns over the issue. The main opposition Congress-led UDF was also against women’s entry but had refrained from hitting the street in a big way. Left to itself, the Government was not very keen to allow unrestricted entry of women to the temple, as that would obviously led to alienation of large sections of the Hindu community. However, it was compelled to harden its position later as the protesters led by the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits kept on provoking the government and its machinery. The situation scaled to its climax when two women activists entered the shrine through the ‘holy eighteen steps.’
As expected, Sabarimala turned into a central theme in the LS polls in the state. However, the calculations of the BJP went awry as and it failed to fulfil its long-cherished dream of sending a representative to the Lok Sabha. Congress and its allies swept the poll, lifting 19 of the 20 seats.
Having burnt its finger, the LDF, especially the coalition leader CPI(M), will be going slow on Sabarimala this time. Putting the ideology on backburner, CPI(M) leaders have given sufficient hints that they would avoid aggressive and provocative positions on the matter, as that would further alienate large sections of people. The BJP too is not expected to hit the street this season as assertively as it did last year. Rather, like others, it will wait for the apex court to settle the issue once and for all.
N Muraleedharan is senior journalist (Ex PTI) and political analyst.
