Amid the growing shadow of politics over the right of young women to enter the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala, as upheld by the highest court of the land, Kerala stands bruised and divided. As the doors of the temple opened last Wednesday for the routine five-day puja at the beginning of every Malayalam month, this being the month of Thulam, it was expected that women of all ages would be allowed darshan, now that the Supreme Court had ruled in their favour. But it was not to be as resistance came from a large section of women belonging to the majority community, who saw it as a violation of their faith in Lord Ayyappa. Political parties saw it as the right opportunity to strike as the general elections are just a few months away. The communist government ruling the state, despite tall promises to uphold its constitutional duties, has so far failed, many believe intentionally, in implementing the court order, making a mockery of its police force headed by a member of the ruling party. The supposedly main Opposition, Congress, bereft of any clear stand, is neither here nor there; talking simultaneously about the right of women to enter the temple and the believers’ right to oppose the same. The BJP, with massive support from fundamentalist Hindu organisations, has emerged as the focal rallying point for devotees vowing to protect the celibacy of Lord Ayyappa at any cost, shepherding thousands of women on to the streets. All speak in unison about the need to uphold the Constitution, but are not ready to take decisive steps forward. In this sordid drama of vote bank politics of religion, saner voices are either stifled or drowned in the prevailing cacophony.
The end result is a massive stand-off with an indecisive, and now seemingly helpless, government on the one side and the supposedly avowed faithful on the other. The rest, which is the majority, is caught in the middle. The ruling CPM is largely to blame for the current state of affairs. The party openly followed a Malayalam adage of putting its legs in two boats. It played hot and cold with the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) that controls the Sabarimala temple, literally a gold mine. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan overruled his party MLA and board president, who had, immediately after the SC verdict, stated that TDB would move a review petition. This gave the impression that the party was with the reformers. But sensing the mood within the majority community, CPM’s largest vote share, the CM called a conciliatory meeting with the priests of the temple and members of the erstwhile royal family of Pandalam which owned the temple. The priests and the royals refused the invitation, which became the turning point in the chain of events that followed. By this time, the Congress and the BJP, both hesitant to take a firm stand at the beginning, saw it as a God-send opportunity to attack the government and the CPM, known non-believers. The BJP especially could connect easily with the devotees since it was a matter of religious faith. The priests and the royals, knowingly or unknowingly, too played into the hands of those with political motives. Leaders of organisations such as the Nair Service Society and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Sangham saw it as an opportunity to flex their sagging muscles. Instead of launching a counter movement with the help of the cadre, had the government allowed the TDB, an autonomous body on paper, to move a review petition, unwarranted incidents could have been avoided. Since the question of violation of the very sanctity of the Sabarimala temple has been raised, the CPM would have to pay a heavy political price.
With three more days for the temple door to close, the TDB has decided to submit a detailed report about the happenings in and around the temple after it opened on Wednesday both to the Supreme Court and the Kerala High Court. “We have no intention to play political games with Sabarimala,” board president A. Padmakumar unconvincingly said on Friday. State Devaswom Minister Kadkampally Surendran’s statement that the “TDB can take independent decisions” is seen as a cruel joke in the present context. Meanwhile, the state government be better prepared to face uncomfortable questions in the court regarding the upkeep of law and order in the state. Blaming the Sangh Parivar for everything that went wrong will not work. The Congress, which had in the past spearheaded renaissance movements in Kerala such as the Vaikkom Satyagraha, is seen as playing second fiddle to the BJP and so stares at an uncertain future. BJP is sure to gain politically by lighting the Ayyappa fire, but will find it difficult to keep the embers hot till the elections. The party will have to look for ways to prolong the case. The CPM will come to BJP’s aid in its pursuit to make Kerala a “Congress-mukt” state. As for the party taking Kerala women decades backward, future generations will decide. But it will be advisable if all those women out on the streets Kerala think twice before stopping a genuine young woman devotee from having a darshan of Ayyappa. Posterity demands that.