UDF to decide on stance over Global Ayyappa Sangamam as political debate continues

Thiruvananthapuram: The opposition UDF said it will announce its final decision on cooperating with the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB)-organised Global Ayyappa Sangamam after a leadership meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening, even as political debate over the event continues.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, UDF convenor and Congress leader Adoor Prakash accused the CPI(M)-led government of organising the meet of Lord Ayyappa devotees with a "political agenda".

He alleged that the real intention of the government was to "destroy the belief of devotees and falsely convince them that they are with them."

"It is an attempt to eyewash the people of the state," Prakash charged.

Asked about the support extended by the Nair Service Society (NSS) and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam to the Sangamam, he pointed out that both outfits had strongly opposed the government’s stand on the Sabarimala issue earlier.

"A leadership meeting of the UDF will be held here tomorrow evening. We will discuss the matter with senior leaders and take a final decision," he said.

Indian Union Muslim League leader P K Kunhalikutty declined to comment directly, saying, "If the event organised by the government is a good thing, there is no need for us to oppose it."

IUML is a key partner in the Congress-led UDF.

The Global Ayyappa Sangamam, being organised by the TDB as part of its 75th anniversary in association with the Kerala government, will be held on September 20 at Pampa.

The UDF remarks came a day after Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan ruled out inviting Bindu Ammini, one of the women who entered the Sabarimala temple in 2019, to the event.

"She won’t be allowed to take part in the Ayyappa Sangamam at any cost," Vasavan told a television channel.

The proposed event has triggered sharp reactions among political parties and community organisations over the past few days.

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Sunday alleged that the Left government, which facilitated the entry of women at Sabarimala, was trying to do "penance" by organising the Sangamam. "What devotees of Lord Ayyappa want from the government are effective arrangements to ensure smooth darshan at the hill shrine," he said.

BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar also urged the TDB "to change the stand it had taken in the Supreme Court in favour of women’s entry at Sabarimala before going ahead with the Sangamam."

Meanwhile, in a relief for the government, both the NSS and the SNDP have extended support to the event.