EC directive against use of Sabarimala issue in election campaign 'illogical', says Kerala BJP leader K Surendran

Kottayam: The BJP on Monday termed as “illogical” the Election Commission’s directive to political parties in Kerala that the Sabarimala temple row should not be used as a campaign issue. “It is 100 percent (obvious) that the stand taken by the (state) government on Sabarimala issue will be discussed in the elections. No one can interfere in it. It is illogical to say that the Sabarimala issue should not be discussed in the election,” BJP state general-secretary K Surendran told reporters in Kottayam. Surendran said this hours after Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena said in Thiruvananthapuram that “citing or invoking” religious propaganda on the “Sabarimala issue” would be a clear violation of the model code of conduct. [caption id=“attachment_5573401” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP[/caption] Surendran, however, said speaking against the Supreme Court order on the Sabarimala matter or taking stand against other religions during the polls are against election rules. Addressing the media in Thiruvananthapuram, Meena had said “inviting religious feelings, using any kind of Supreme Court judgment, invoking or soliciting the votes in the name of religion or by inciting religious feelings is a clear violation of the model code of conduct.” Kerala witnessed widespread violence by devotees and right-wing activists after the state government decided to implement the Supreme Court’s 28 September, 2018 verdict allowing women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple. The BJP has already pinned its hope on the Sabarimala issue as it believes that it was able to create a momentum among its workers.