Sabarimala all-party meet fails, Govt firm on implementing SC verdict
Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 15: Consensus eluded a crucial all-party meeting called Thursday to resolve the stand-off over permitting women of menstrual age into the Sabarimala shrine with the Kerala government firm on implementing the Supreme Court order and the Opposition walking out in protest.
After the nearly three-hour long meeting, dubbed as a 'farce' by the Opposition, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said his government was duty bound to enforce the court's September 28 verdict allowing women of all ages to pray at the hill temple of Lord Ayyappa as it had not been stayed.
The meeting was convened by him in the backdrop of state-wide protests by devotees after the Supreme Court ended an age-old ban on entry of women in the 10-50 age group.
"The government has no other option as Supreme Court has made it clear that the September 28 verdict has not been stayed, which means women in the 10-50 age group have the right to visit the Sabarimala temple," Vijayan told reporters.
Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the BJP staged a walkout at the meeting, convened two days ahead of the temple's opening on November 17 for the two-month long pilgrim season when lakhs of devotees are expected to throng the shrine.
Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala accused the government of being adamant, while BJP state President P S Sreedharan Pillai said the meeting was a 'waste of time'.
Meanwhile, the erstwhile Pandalam Royal family, associated with the temple, told Vijayan that there was no change in its stand with regard to rituals and traditions of the shrine and it was against entry of young women.
The views were conveyed during talks held separately by the chief minister with the family member Sasikumar Varma and Tantri (head priest) Kandararu Rajeevaru on the issue.
"We are against the entry of young women. There is no change in the stand", Verma told reporters adding Vijayan informed them about the limitations of the government vis-a-vis the court order.
Kandararu Rajeevaru said "we can only appeal to young women not to come to Sabarimala".
At the all-party meet, Vijayan rejected the demand that the government seek time from the court to implement its order since a bunch of review petitions are expected to come up for hearing before the apex court on January 22.
The government cannot say that belief was above the Constitution, he said.
It put forward certain suggestions, including setting apart certain days for young women to offer prayers, instead of all days, Vijayan said, adding these had to be discussed with all stakeholders.
He said the CPI(M)-led LDF government was not adamant but was duty-bound to implement the court verdict.
Chennithala said the government was "adamant" in its stand and it refused to accept the Opposition's suggestions.
"We decided to walk out of the meeting after the Chief Minister's reply. The meeting was a farce, government was not ready for any compromise", he told reporters.
UDF was with the believers and wanted peace and harmony in Sabarimala, while the government's aim was to "destroy" the pilgrimage, where lakhs of people from all over the world visit annually, he alleged.
"This is a declaration of war" on the believers by the government. The Chief minister and the government would be responsible for any violence or untoward incident in Sabarimala, he added.
BJP leader Pillai alleged Vijayan had come with a script prepared at the AKG Centre, the CPI-M's state headquarters, and that attempts were on to convert Kerala into "Stalin's Russia".
"We will oppose the government's decision in a democratic manner", he said, adding an all-party meeting was called to elicit views of everybody and reach a solution, but the government snubbed the suggestions.
The "new found love" of the LDF government towards the Supreme Court verdict on Sabarimala showed its "malicious intention to impose atheism in society", Pillai, a practising lawyer in the Kerala High Court, alleged.
Varma said the talks were held in a 'cordial' atmosphere and the chief minister put forward certain suggestions.
These have to be discussed with other members of their respective families, Verma and the head priest said. "We will examine it, hold discussions and take a decision", Varma added.
The state had witnessed a string of protests by Congress, the BJP, RSS and right wing outfits against the LDF government's decision to implement the apex court verdict.
Frenzied devotees had prevented at least a dozen women in 10-50 age group from entering the temple when it opened for five days last month and two days this month for monthly and special puja amid high drama.
Social activist Trupti Desai has said she along with six other young women would offer prayers at the shrine on Nov 17 and sought protection from the state government.
The outfits opposing the court order have said they would resist through "Gandhian means" any attempt by young women to enter the temple.
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Constitution amendment bill defeat was BJP’s first embarrassment in Parliament: Margaret Alva
Bengaluru (PTI): Senior Congress leader Margaret Alva on Monday said that the constitution amendment bill's defeat in the Lok Sabha on April 17 was the first embarrassment faced by the BJP-led government in Parliament.
She also alleged that the BJP has no real concern regarding women’s reservation.
The opposition INDIA bloc defeated the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill that sought to facilitate the implementation of women's reservation by expanding the strength of the Lok Sabha, apart from making changes to delimitation.
"This is the first embarrassment and defeat faced by the NDA government in the Lok Sabha," the former Governor of Gujarat and Rajasthan said in a press conference here.
According to her, the women’s reservation has been under discussion since the time of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
"During Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure, a 14-member committee was formed, and I was appointed as its chairperson. We prepared a report after studying what needed to be done to enhance the dignity of women across 12 sectors. This was submitted to the government in 1989,” Alva, 84-year-old veteran Congress leader, said.
She said political empowerment for women was emphasised in that report, without which, empowerment in any other sphere is not possible.
“Many people in Parliament used to question me — should we vacate seats for women and stay at home cooking? Why insist on this? Has anyone written these seats in your name? This debate has been ongoing since 1975,” Alva explained.
The Congress leader said Rajiv Gandhi had introduced 33 per cent reservation for women in local bodies.
“At that time, all opposition parties united and defeated the Bill,” she pointed out.
Again, during the tenure of former Prime Minister late P V Narasimha Rao, the 33 per cent reservation Bill in local bodies was passed.
“It was the Congress party that first introduced women’s reservation. Now they are falsely accusing us of being anti-women,” Alva charged.
In 2023, the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed with much fanfare, but it was not immediately implemented.
According to her, a condition was imposed for its implementation that it would be enforced based on census data.
"Once it is in the statute book, what is preventing its implementation? Two years for the census and another two years for delimitation — this means it cannot be implemented by 2029. It was not given in 2024, and there is no possibility even in 2029," Alva charged the BJP-led government at the Centre.
The Congress leader said the BJP is saying that the Bill can be implemented based on the 2011 Census, but when the same suggestion was made in 2023, the BJP rejected it.
On increasing the Lok Sabha seats by 50 per cent, she sought to know the basis for it.
“Where did this (idea) come from? Whose advice was taken? Was it decided by the RSS? Or ordered by a court?” Alva asked.
The former union minister said the Constitution amendment bill, which was defeated on April 17 appears to favour certain North Indian states.
“We pay taxes, but they receive greater benefits and allocations. If seats are increased by 50 per cent based on their calculations, we would get only 14 additional seats, while they would get 40. How is this fair?” she questioned.
While 298 members voted in support of the bill in Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-third majority.
According to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to "operationalise" the women's reservation act before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats were also to be increased in state and Union territory Assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
