Sabarimala issue may help Left: First woman at shrine

While Sabarimala women entry issue dominates the election campaign in Kerala, Bindu Ammini, who hit the headlines for being one of the two women who entered the temple after the Supreme Court order in the issue, feels Sabarimala issue should be seriously discussed in the elections.

She also hopes the Left front will get the advantage of it.

However, Kanakadurga, who accompanied Bindu to the Ayyappa temple in Kerala on January 2, preferred to be silent on the matter. Both Bindu and Kanakadurga are still living under police protection owing to the threats they faced from many Hindutva outfits.

In a telephonic interview with DH, Bindu said the older generations of hardcore Hindu families would not oppose the entry of women to Sabarimala temple as they had witnessed more serious social reforms.

She also said that since she and two other women had already entered temple, there was no relevance in preventing women from entering the temple anymore.

Sabarimala women entry issue is highly debated in election campaign. What do you feel?

I strongly feel that the Sabarimala issue should be discussed during the election. The LDF should be getting the benefit as a large section of silent voters who decide election trends will favour this positive change and vote against those who unleashed riots over the issue.

Do you think the issue is creating a communal divide?

The RSS-Sangh Parivar outfits were communalising it by unleashing a misleading campaign. No genuine devotees raised any sorts of protest. Only the new generation of Sangh Parivar workers, who do not have any understanding about history, are opposing women entry. Their older generations won't oppose it as they had witnessed more serious social reforms in Kerala.

The BJP-RSS still allege that you were taken to Sabarimala at the behest of the Left-government. Was it so?

It is totally baseless. It was my individual decision to go to Sabarimala as the SC order and Constitutional rights were questioned after the restriction on women entry was lifted. Since the Supreme Court lifted the ban on the entry of women, the police was bound to give us adequate security. If there was any such planning between us and the government, the BJP could have easily exposed it by this time.

Are you planning to join election campaigns? Has any party invited you?

I have no affiliation with any political parties or outfits even though my basic ideology is Left. Hence, I don’t want to take part in electioneering. I also did not get invitation from any parties for campaign. But I will always openly express my stand on the Sabarimala women entry issue.