Venugopal raises Sabarimala women entry issue, challenges CM to clarify stand

Amid the charged atmosphere of electioneering ahead of the 9 April assembly polls, the centuries-old traditions of Sabarimala Temple have once again taken centre stage, as political rhetoric intensifies in Kerala.

Senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal on Tuesday launched a sharp offensive against the Left government, invoking the contentious issue of women’s entry into the revered hill shrine and challenging chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to declare his stand unequivocally.

Accusing the state administration of maintaining an “evasive silence”, Venugopal criticised what he described as the government’s shifting posture before the Supreme Court of India. He questioned why, despite repeated opportunities, the leadership had refrained from articulating a clear position on the sensitive matter, even as voices within social forums continued to reiterate their support for women’s entry.

Drawing a pointed contrast, the Congress general secretary referred to the chief minister’s recent apology to actor Mammootty over a controversy linked to the Wayanad township project, asking why similar contrition had not been extended to devotees who, he alleged, felt their beliefs and traditions had been wounded.

Venugopal further raised concerns over unresolved cases against Sabarimala devotees who had protested years ago, claiming that neither relief nor compensation had followed their legal ordeals. He also revisited past affidavits filed by successive Left governments — under V.S. Achuthanandan in 2007 and Vijayan in 2016 — arguing that the core stance supporting women’s entry had remained unchanged, even as the present government appeared to “play hide and seek” by deferring clarity.

Reiterating the Congress position, he maintained that the party does not support the entry of women of menstruating age into the shrine, asserting that temple customs must remain distinct from broader debates on women’s rights.

Framing the issue as one of accountability, Venugopal issued a direct challenge to the chief minister to answer with a clear “yes” or “no”, warning that, in the absence of such clarity, it would be the people who ultimately pass judgment.

As faith, tradition, and politics converge once more on the Sabarimala question, the debate continues to echo far beyond the temple’s forested hills — resonating deeply within Kerala’s evolving electoral landscape.

With PTI inputs