Sabarimala verdict: P Vijayan accuses RSS of creating 'law and order situation' in Kerala, says govt will implement court order

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday lashed out at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for “trying to create a law and order situation in the state” by taking advantage of Supreme Court’s verdict to allow entry of all women in the Sabarimala temple. “Government is bound to implement the Supreme Court verdict,” Vijayan stated in a press conference.

Vijayan said that this government will implement the Supreme Court verdict as that is its responsibility. “Filing a review petition is against the stand and it is not the policy of the government to fight with believers. Their interest will be protected and the government is ready for a discussion,”  he said. Accusing the BJP of showing double standards, he said it was time for political parties to support progressive steps. Vijayan cited that how earlier menstruating women were not allowed to enter kitchens as they were considered to be impure. “But over the years, these things have changed. In different sections of society, there has always been revolt against such wrong traditions,” he said. Vijayan said that today, women have proved their mettle in all fields and that his government’s stance on equal rights to all was very clear. According to a News18 report,  Vijayan pointed out that how the BJP had implemented the Bombay High Court’s 2016 verdict that allowed women entry into the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra but was now protesting against the Sabarimala verdict of the Supreme Court.  “The BJP government or the workers did not protest in Haji Ali Dargah, where too women were allowed entry by the Supreme Court. In BJP-ruled Maharashtra, their stand is women can enter such places, but in Kerala women can’t enter. This shows their double standard,” he remarked. Earlier in the day,  The National Ayyappa Devotees' Association filed a review petition in the Supreme Court asking the top court to reconsider its ruling on women’s entry into the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. The plea noted that the top court should not have passed an order allowing women of all ages to enter the shrine as it violated the Constitution and their religious rights. [caption id=“attachment_5338521” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan addressed a press conference on Monday. ANI[/caption] Hundreds of Lord Ayyappa devotees, including women, have been staging demonstrations in protest against the Sabarimala verdict, since last week. However, earlier too, the chief minister had said that the Kerala government will make all the necessary arrangements, including ensuring the safety of women devotees, to implement the apex the court’s order. Vijayan had also turned down the possibility of the state government filing a review petition in the case. The Supreme Court on 28 September had paved the way for the entry of women of all ages into the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala. The five-judge constitutional bench headed by former Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had said that banning the entry of women into the shrine is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women.