No harm if political parties talk about Sabarimala issue during LS polls campaign, says BJP's Kummanam Rajasekharan

A day after Kerala Chief Election Officer TR Meena warned political parties against using Sabarimala as propaganda during the Lok Sabha polls campaign, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kummanam Rajasekharan on Tuesday said no one can impose a ban on raising an issue during elections. Rajasekharan said that Sabarimala is a major issue involving lakhs of people, with some in jail for it and others having cases against them. “I asked the CPM if they will repeat what they had said about the Sabarimala row after the CEO’s warning and they said yes. Everyone has the right to express their opinions and there is no harm if we talk about Sabarimala,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_5055691” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Kummanam Rajasekharan. IBN[/caption] Rajasekharan is a senior leader of RSS, and the BJP is banking on him and the issue to win seats in Kerala for the first time. He recently resigned as Mizoram governor to contest the Lok Sabha election. The BJP leader, however, refuted news of contesting from Thiruvananthapuram. “BJP has prosperous chances in all 20 constituencies in the state. The people also want a change from the Left Democratic Front and United Democratic Front,” he said. BJP state general secretary K Surendran had also said on Monday that their party would definitely bring up the Sabarimala issue during the poll campaign. Meena has warned on Monday that using the 28 September Supreme Court verdict on the Sabarimala row as propaganda will amount to the violation of the Model Code of Conduct and may invite action against the relevant political party. The apex court verdict allowed women of all ages to enter the Ayyappa Temple. Lok Sabha polls will be held in Kerala in a single phase. The state will vote from 20 Lok Sabha constituencies on 23 April.