Sabarimala Row: Opposition lambasts Kerala Chief Minister

Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress-led Kerala opposition UDF on Wednesday hit out at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for reprimanding the head priest of Lord Ayyappa sanctuary in Sabarimala, saying it was an "onslaught" on devotees over the world.

The 'tantri' (the head cleric) has the final say in choosing the customs and conventions of the Lord Ayyappa temple and any comments against him are "unbecoming" of the situation of a central priest, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala told the media.

He likewise asserted the Chief Minister was debilitating the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which deals with the holy place since it was not going about according to his requests.

The indignation regarding the non-usage of his request to convey ladies to the slope holy place, at any rate, was reflected in his words against the head cleric and the TDB, Chennithala said

"Police had tried to bring activist women to Sabarimala by giving them their uniform but failed. The Chief Minister is showing that anger towards the tantri," he said

"His attack against the head priest was an onslaught on devotees of Lord Ayyappa across the world," he added.

Vijayan is attempting to make dread and tension among devotees through his announcements, the Congress leader asserted. Alluding to a few judgments of the Supreme Court with respect to the authority of sanctuaries, Chennithala said: "in Sabarimala, tantri holds a fatherly position in connection to the chief god Lord Ayyappa."

Demonstrating the innate tantri family in terrible light was unbecoming of a Chief Minister, he said.

At an open gathering held at Pathanamthitta region Tuesday, Vijayan had censured Sabarimala head minister, Kandararu Rajeevaru for his stand that he would close the temple and go if young ladies were permitted inside the sanctuary complex.

He had additionally said that it was ill-advised for the tantric and the 'parikarmies', sanctuary representatives helping clerics in pujas, to contradict the administration's choice to actualize the Supreme Court decision allowing ladies of all age bunches into the slope altar.

The Sabarimala tantri had stretched out help to the arrangement of disturbance organized by Ayyappa devotees over the state against the administration's choice to actualize the order of the Supreme Court.

Other than Rajeevaru, different individuals from the tantri family had additionally taken a consolidating stand by participating in the prayer meetings, organised in protest against the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict.