BJP, CPM tread carefully over Sabarimala issue

The ruling CPM-led Left Front and the BJP in Kerala are seen to be cautiously taking steps on the sensitive issue of the women's entry in Sabarimala, especially after raising the issue backfired in the Lok Sabha polls in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had been highlighting the issue in all of his election speeches in Kerala, was silent about the subject in his maiden address in the state after becoming the prime minister for the second time.

Even though Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has repeatedly stated that the Left-Front's stand on the Sabarimala issue was not the reason for the Front's electoral losses in the Kerala Lok Sabha polls, the party's central leadership as well as all key coalition partners in the Left-Front, including the CPI, concluded that the Sabarimala issue indeed led to a massive drain of their traditional vote banks in Kerala.

The Left-Front would now be cautious in taking further steps on the issue.

Sabarimala Karma Samathi leader Rahul Easwar, who was at the forefront in opposing the entry of women in the 10-50 year age group to the Sabarimala Ayyappa shrine, said that the Hindu devotees would have been happy if the prime minister had made a statement on the Sabarimala issue in his address at Thrissur.

Apart from his assurances in election speeches that the BJP would protect people's beliefs and faiths, the BJP even made such an assurance in its election manifesto too, he pointed out.

Rahul Easwar told DH that he learnt from some BJP leaders that the prime minister avoided any sorts of announcement on the Sabarimala issue this time as the matter was pending before court.

"We hope that if the court verdict is against the beliefs and faiths, the BJP government will bring in a piece of legislation to protect the beliefs," he said.

Not only did the BJP's efforts to consolidate Hindu votes over the Sabarimala issue during the Lok Sabaha polls failed, a strong counter consolidation of Christian and Muslim votes had taken place in favour of the Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala.

Owing to the stand taken in favour of allowing women of all ages to Sabarimala, the Left-Front lost a considerable number of Hindu-Ezhava votes that used to be its key vote bank in Kerala.

It may be recalled that while the BJP failed to win any Lok Sabha seats in Kerala this time too, the left front was reduced to just one seat from eight in 2014.

The Congress, which had initially taken a dilly dallying stand on allowing menstruating women at the Sabarimala temple, had a sweeping victory of 19 out of the 20 seats in the state.