Will Global Ayyappa conclave help CPM politically or not?

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the CPM government in Kerala is organizing the Global Ayyappa conclave with the stated objective of promoting the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, the move is widely considered as a political strategy of the Pinarayi Vijayan government in the polls bound state.

The CPM seems to be making a bid to plug the flow of its Hindu vote banks to the BJP camps. But political analysts are skeptical whether the move would help the CPM make electoral gains or not.

Apart from the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits, political analysts also smell a political ploy in the Ayyappa conclave especially since the local body polls are due to happen in the next few months and the assembly elections are hardly nine months away.

The conclave will be held on the banks of holy Pamba river on September 20 in connection with the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Travancore Devaswom Board that manages the Ayyappa temple.

The CPM had faced severe electoral setbacks following the bid to enforce the Supreme Court order lifting the ban entry of women in the 10-50 age group to the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in 2018-19. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP was found to have made inroads into the Hindu-Ezhava (OBC) vote banks of the CPM across the state.

For these reasons, the CPM's present move is widely seen as yet another social engineering of the Pinarayi Vijayan government to please the Hindu community. That is the reason for the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits to unleash a strong campaign against the event by citing participation of 'atheists' Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and alleging a ploy to sabotage the Hindu beliefs..

Political analysts point out that even as the CPM is trying to appease the Hindu community, the sharp deviations from the basic secular ideologies could have adverse effects too.

"It was deviation from the basic ideologies that proved costly for the CPM in West Bengal. Initiating steps like organizing Ayyappa devotees conclave may not go down well with the hardcore supporters of the party. It is also not sure whether the CPM could influence the Hindu voters with such events," said senior political observer M N Karasserry.

He also points out that it was not the duty of a secular government to organize gatherings of a particular religion. The government should only act as a facilitator for all religions and worship centres.

Vellappally Natesan, general secretary of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalanayogam (SNDP), an outfit of the Hindu-Ezhava community, said that the CPM won't get any political benefit by organizing the Ayyappa conclave.

But he welcomes the decision of the CPM government to hold the event and invite Tamil Nadu chief minister and representatives from various states. "The conclave will help in bringing more devotees to Sabarimala which will in turn become beneficial for over thousand temples run by the board," said Natesan.