[Smoke and mirrors! <<A day after police officers deployed at Sabarimala told DGP Loknath Behera that they will not be able to extend security to activists attempting to enter the hill shrine, Kerala Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran on Thursday said that the state government has no special interest in taking women to the hill shrine. The minister emphasized that the government is not scared of the "goons creating problems" at Sannidhanam, and ***many women would have visited the temple by now had the government wanted*** [emphasis added]. He was speaking to media after the Manadalakaala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season assessment meeting with Devaswom board officials. Ever since the verdict, around three dozen women from the child-bearing age group have tried and failed to have a darshan of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala following protests. On Sunday, 11 women devotees from Tamil Nadu were sent back in the face of steep protest. "***The hill shrine is not the place to show activism," Surendran said*** [emphasis added].>> (Excerpted from sl. no. I. below.)
<<While fielding questions on abortive attempts made by young women to reach the temple, Surendran told newspersons at Sannidhanam that the state government has made it clear time and again that it is not adamant on any particular person's entry to the temple. "If the government had such a wish, young women would have entered the temple much earlier. Nobody should doubt the government's strength. Nobody must feel that young women were unable to enter the temple because a few hooligans tried to prevent them by shouting 'sarana mantras'. It is not the case. You (those who protested at Sabarimala) sho-uldn't feel proud about such matters," said Surendran. Surendran said ***the government cannot say that the SC order will not be implemented*** [emphasis added]. The minister said he was opposed to the idea of people subscribing to extreme views using Sabarimala or a similar place to 'make waves'. "We cannot call everybody an activist only because they announce plans to visit Sabarimala in advance on social media," he said.>> (Excerpted from sl. no. II. below.) Who's this minister? <<A member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), he is presently a member of the Kerala State Committee of the party. He served as its Thiruvananthapuram District Committee Secretary for nine years from 2007 - 2016. Kadakampally has been a prominent figure of the CPI(M) and other leftist progressive movements in the district of Thiruvananthapuram for more than four decades. He is also a forefronter in the trade union activities in the state of Kerala.>> (Ref.: <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadakampally_Surendran>.) So, this is the second Kerala minister to let the truth slip out, in a moment of indiscretion. The earlier one was the Finance Minister Isaac Thomas. He emphatically claimed (ref.: < https://twitter.com/drthomasisaac/status/1056165651503411200?lang=en>) that the BJP national president had been granted a ***special permission so that his plane could land in an airport, yet to be inaugurated***. And, Amit Shah on landing with the "special" permission, as very much expected of him, vociferously campaigned against the Supreme Court order, on Sabarimala, granting the right of entry to women of all ages, and even issued a call to oust the government. The call for "ouster" riled the minister. The above must be supplemented also with the report that a state RSS leader publicly claimed that he had personally looked into the age proofs of the female poice deployed for the temple duty to ensure that they're all above 50. (Ref.: < https://www.news18.com/news/india/we-verified-age-proof-documents-of-all-female-cops-posted-at-sabarimala-rss-leader-1936941.html> and < https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-rss-leader-s-statement-that-age-proof-of-women-police-officers-was-checked-shocking-2685006 >.) Yet, there's a call of human wall, by none other than the state government itself to defend the women's right to entry. <<***Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, firm in his stance to implement the verdict*** [emphasis added], has made an announcement of forming a human chain of women on January 1, from Kasargode to Thiruvananthapuram. Calling it a ‘vanitha mathil’ (women wall) ...>> (Ref.: < https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/kerala-cm-announces-women-wall-awareness-campaigns-promote-govts-sabarimala-stand-92613 >.) ***One has to keep in mind that till now, though more than five hundred women, between 10 and 50, have registered for making temple visit, (ref.: < https://www.news18.com/news/india/sabarimala-row-500-women-between-ages-of-10-and-50-register-on-kerala-police-portal-1933925.html.) not one - not even one, entry could be ensured by the state government***. Trupti Desai and her companions were turned back from the airport itself. (Ref.: < https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/sabarimala-row-police-have-asked-me-to-return-to-pune-says-trupti-desai/articleshow/66654765.cms >.) So were quite a few others midway on their journey to the temple. Then another group of eleven, meeting with even worse fate. <<We were not given food, water or ***even allowed to pass urine*** [emphasis added]. They told us we should have brought our own food, it is not their duty but they wouldn’t allow us to go buy food, citing security reasons. ***They tried brainwashing each one of us saying they have pictures of our children, addresses of our homes, etc*** [emphasis added]. It is only when they realised that even the women devotees among us are strong that they decided to stage a drama (of a chase by the protesting mob) and turn us away.>> (Ref.: < https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/kerala-police-leaked-our-plans-didn-t-want-us-enter-sabarimala-manithi-alleges-93923 >.) In order to solve this (apparent) riddle one has to take the following into account. The temple entry issue will remain alive till either: l. The ban is reimposed. Or ll. Women, between 10 and 50, make entry in some number. ***And, it's the BJP which'd be benefited if the issue is kept alive. And, that benefits the ruling CPI (M) immensely, in Kerala (only), regardless of long-term, or even mid-term, consequences, by converting a bipolar electoral battle into a triangular contest.*** The following extract from an analytical report, predating the Sabarimala conundrum, is pretty much helpful. <<In the last 35 years in Kerala, no government, either of the Congress or the Left, has returned to power. Political commentators and analysts say the CPM, under the leadership of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is now working overtime to buck the trend in 2021 by making the race to the state Assembly a three-cornered one through which it hopes to ride to power once again on a split of anti-incumbency votes. What used to be a traditional two-way fight is being positioned as having the potential for a three-cornered one. “I think he (Vijayan) very well harbours a dream to come back to power after five years because that would break a record. But for that, he needs to split the Opposition votes. And ***the best way to do that is by ensuring a stream of votes to flow towards the BJP*** [emphasis added]. If you have noticed, he has a soft approach towards the BJP/RSS,” says MM Somasekharan, a former central executive member of the CPI(ML). ... “The CPM is trying to pit itself against the BJP so that it can win in a triangular contest. The BJP can only advance by depleting the Congress which is not entirely possible because in Kerala, the latter is not that organisationally weak. So in a way, ***the stronger the BJP gets, the better is for the CPM*** [emphasis added],” remarks G Pramod Kumar, a former journalist who has written extensively about Left politics in Kerala.>> (Ref.: How the Left is using the Right to stay alive in its last bastion of Kerala' at < https://indianexpress.com/article/india/cpm-left-kerala-series-1-bjp-pinarayi-kuthuparamba-5222296/ >.)] I/II. http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2018/dec/27/kerala-government-has-no-interest-in-taking-women-to-sabarimala-devaswom-minister-kadakampally-sure-1917232.html Kerala government has no interest in taking women to Sabarimala: Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran The shrine is not a place to show activism, the minister said, a day after police officers deployed at Sabarimala told DGP Loknath Behera that they will not be able to extend security to activists Published: 27th December 2018 05:18 PM | Last Updated: 27th December 2018 07:35 PM | Kerala Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran at Sabarimala. (Photo| Shaji Vettipuram/EPS) By Online Desk A day after police officers deployed at Sabarimala told DGP Loknath Behera that they will not be able to extend security to activists attempting to enter the hill shrine, Kerala Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran on Thursday said that the state government has no special interest in taking women to the hill shrine. READ | Can't protect activists who visit Sabarimala for political mileage, police tell DGP The minister emphasized that the government is not scared of the "goons creating problems" at Sannidhanam, and many women would have visited the temple by now had the government wanted. He was speaking to media after the Manadalakaala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season assessment meeting with Devaswom board officials. Ever since the verdict, around three dozen women from the child-bearing age group have tried and failed to have a darshan of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala following protests. On Sunday, 11 women devotees from Tamil Nadu were sent back in the face of steep protest. "The hill shrine is not the place to show activism," Surendran said. READ | Protests outsides houses of two women who attempted Sabarimala temple entry Coming down heavily on the violent-protesters, the minister said women of all ages now have the right to enter Sabarimala as ruled by the apex court. Nobody can dispute that. He expressed confidence that the people of Kerala will not support the violent protestors and will come to a rational conclusion. The government ensured proper facilities for the devotees during the ongoing pilgrimage season although it was struggling to recover the state from the impacts of the flood. READ | Kadakampally Surendran takes a dig at Kerala HC-appointed monitoring panel Accusing the BJP of turning Sabarimala into a war zone, Surendran said the saffron party shifted its agitation from Sabarimala to Secratariat in Thiruvananthapuam after it failed to divide the people with the women's entry issue. The temple town has witnessed protests by right-wing groups since the September 28 Supreme Court verdict that allowed women of all ages to enter the temple, including those from the hitherto banned age group of 10 to 50 years. II. https://m.timesofindia.com/india/kerala-not-keen-on-allowing-women-in-sabarimala-minister/amp_articleshow/67279732.cms?fbclid=IwAR1OsYaZUS1BUKC0HdoDJg_JLmwTmyZmcHFnhHvzB7qegg22YLqA27WuG8w Kerala not keen on allowing women in Sabarimala: Minister TNN | Updated: Dec 28, 2018, 09:24 IST TNN SABARIMALA/T'PURAM: Dewaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran on Thursday said the entry of young women at Sabarimala did not happen during the ongoing Mandala season because the Kerala government itself was not interested in making it happen. The minister's statement contradicts the oft-repeated stand of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan that his government was committed to implement Supreme Court's verdict that women of all ages should be allowed entry into the temple. While fielding questions on abortive attempts made by young women to reach the temple, Surendran told newspersons at Sannidhanam that the state government has made it clear time and again that it is not adamant on any particular person's entry to the temple. "If the government had such a wish, young women would have entered the temple much earlier. Nobody should doubt the government's strength. Nobody must feel that young women were unable to enter the temple because a few hooligans tried to prevent them by shouting 'sarana mantras'. It is not the case. You (those who protested at Sabarimala) sho-uldn't feel proud about such matters," said Surendran. Surendran said the government cannot say that the SC order will not be implemented. The minister said he was opposed to the idea of people subscribing to extreme views using Sabarimala or a similar place to 'make waves'. "We cannot call everybody an activist only because they announce plans to visit Sabarimala in advance on social media," he said. Surendran admitted there was a dip in number of pilgrims and revenue this season. "Forces that tried to create problems at Sabarimala are responsible for this. No genuine devotee raised a complaint against facilities arranged by the government and TDB at short notice. We plan to improve facilities on a war footing," he said. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to greenyouth+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send an email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
