Woman Activist Who Entered Sabarimala Won't Be Invited To Ayyappa Minister

Kerala Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan on Sunday made it clear that Bindu Ammini, one of the women activists who entered into the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple in 2019, will not be invited to take part in the upcoming Global Ayyappa Sangamam.

While talking to a television channel, the minister said there was no need for her to take part in the event being organised by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) in association with the state government.

"She won't be allowed to take part in the Ayyappa Sangamam at any cost," Vasavan said.

The minister was replying to a question whether Ammini, who reportedly sent a letter to the government expressing her desire to take part in the event, would be permitted to attend the Sangamam.

Ammini was in the news for visiting the Sabarimala temple in 2019 following a Supreme Court order permitting women of all age groups to pray at the hill shrine.

Vasavan said the Sangamam is an event targeting real devotees of Lord Ayyappa who visit the Sabarimala regularly and those who visit the shrine while coming to the state under the aegis of some outfits or in connection with various events.

The representatives of such outfits and such devotees are invited to take part in the event, he explained.

"She (Ammini) does not belong to any such categories. So, there is no need to invite her... and no need for her to take part in it," Vasavan added.

The Sangamam is organised by the TDB as part of its 75th anniversary in association with the Kerala government on September 20 at Pampa.

The proposed event continued to trigger reactions among various political parties and community outfits in the state on Sunday also.

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal alleged that the Left government, who facilitated the entry of women at Sabarimala years ago, was trying to do "penance" to their deeds by organising Ayyappa Sangamam.

He said what the devotees of Lord Ayyappa want from the government is the effective arrangements to ensure a smooth darshan at the hill shrine.

Meanwhile, BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar urged the TDB to change their stand taken in the Supreme Court supporting the entry of women in Sabarimala before organising the Ayyappa Sangamam.

Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, an outfit of the numerically-strong Ezhava community, welcomed the TDB's move to hold the Sangamam and said it would pave way for Ayyappa devotees from across the globe to visit the state.

The outfit said the event is expected to accelerate the socio-economic growth of the state, and it should be supported cutting across politics, religion and caste.

When reporters sought his reaction, SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan said a large number of grassroot level people are finding their livelihood depending upon Sabarimala and Lord Ayyappa. Events like Sangamam would be a support for such common people.

"I wish that the Global Ayyappa Sangamam would be a grand success and help take the glory of Lord Ayyappa across the world and accelerate the flow of Ayyappa devotees to the state," he said.

When asked about the BJP's allegation against the Sangamam connecting it with the Left government's stand on the women's entry issue at Sabarimala years ago, Natesan said at present, neither the government nor TDB has any agenda in this regard.

"Everything should be held without violating traditional customs and rituals. The entry of women is not necessary in Sabarimala. People don't like that. The state government has no interest in promoting it now," he said.

The SNDP leader's reaction came a day after state BJP vehemently criticised the proposed event and alleged that it was being held, like an expo, by the state government with commercial interests to make money out of the faith and belief of Lord Ayyappa devotees.

Senior BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan alleged that the state government was trying to make a huge amount of money by monetising the belief and faith of the Ayyappa devotees.

Speaking along similar lines, the state president of the Yoga Kshema Sabha Akkeraman Kalidasan Bhattathiripad raised doubts regarding the event.

However, Nair Service Society (NSS), an outfit of the forward Nair community, said on Saturday that if the intention of the event was to carry out development activities in connection with the shrine without affecting its rituals and by preserving the sanctity of the temple, then it was "good".

NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair said in a statement that the leadership of any committee in connection with the event should include Ayyappa devotees and be free of politics.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)