Sabarimala protests: BJP leader K Surendran denied bail
Pathanamthitta/Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 24: A court in Kerala on Saturday denied bail to BJP state general secretary K Surendran in a case of alleged involvement in violent protests at Sabarimala earlier this month.
Surendran was arrested earlier this week from Nilackal, the base camp of Sabarimala, after he refused to go back despite a request from the police.
He was produced before a local court at Ranni in Pathanamthitta and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. Later he was granted conditional bail.
Subsequently, he was arrested in the case relating to violence at Sannidhanam when a 52-year-old woman, who had come for the 'choroonu' (rice feeding ceremony) of her grandchild, was blocked and allegedly attacked.
While denying him bail Saturday, the court, however, allowed Surendran to talk to his family members through phone in the presence of the jail superintendent.
Police were also granted permission to question the BJP leader for one hour this evening.
Sabarimala had witnessed violent protests from a section of devotees over the state government's decision to implement the September 28 order of the Supreme Court, allowing entry of women of all age groups into the shrine.
The court denied bail to the BJP leader, saying that the case was related to Section 308 of the Indian Penal Code (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and also has conspiracy charges.
Meanwhile, BJP leader M T Ramesh courted controversy Saturday after allegedly threatening police over Surendran's arrest.
"Until Surendran comes out of jail, we will not allow any policeman to come out on the road from their station," Ramesh said at a protest meeting at Kozhikode.
There were reports suggesting that V Muraleedharan, MP, might approach BJP national leaders on the issue of Surendran's arrest.
Meanwhile, Rahul Easwar, President of Ayyappa Dharma Sena, who was arrested following protests at the hill shrine and later released, was not allowed to go to the sannidhanam (the main temple complex).
He said he would move the high court and come to the shrine to offer prayers.
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Kangana Ranaut sparks row: Claims Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem
New Delhi: A significant political controversy has erupted following the Modi government's decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. The row was further fueled by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who, while defending the name change, erroneously claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had made the devotional song "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" India’s national anthem.
The central government has rebranded the flagship rural employment scheme from MGNREGA to the "Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission," abbreviated as VB-G RAM G. The removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme has been termed an insult to the Father of the Nation by the Congress and other opposition parties.
When questioned by the media outside Parliament regarding the opposition's allegations, Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut defended the government's decision by invoking Mahatma Gandhi's devotion to Lord Ram.
"How is naming it 'Ram Ji' an insult to Gandhi ji?" Ranaut asked. "Mahatma Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem to organize the entire country. Therefore, this is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi? The government is fulfilling his dream by giving it the name of Ram."
Ranaut's claim regarding the national anthem was immediately seized upon by the opposition. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared the video of Ranaut’s statement on social media, tweeting sarcastically, "Come on brother, today we learned a new national anthem! The BJP is full of such gems."
Social media users also trolled the MP for the factual error. One user quipped, "Kangana ji forgot to mention that Bapu made this the national anthem after the country got independence in 2014," while another commented that the party finds people who "don't use their brains while forwarding WhatsApp messages."
Beyond the social media mockery, senior Congress leaders criticised the renaming on ideological grounds. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the move.
"The biggest irony is that Mahatma Gandhi was a lifelong devotee of Lord Ram and said 'Hey Ram' in his last moments," Gehlot wrote. "Today, the central government is making a despicable attempt to sideline Gandhi ji under the guise of the same 'Ram' name (VB-G RAM G), which is highly condemnable."
मनरेगा का नाम बदलने की केंद्र सरकार की कवायद महात्मा गांधी के प्रति उनकी ओछी मानसिकता और असम्मान का प्रमाण है। सरकार पहले 'पूज्य बापू' के नाम का शिगूफा छोड़ती है और फजीहत होने पर अब 'विकसित भारत-गारंटी फॉर रोजगार एंड आजीविका मिशन (VB-G RAM G)' जैसा नाम थोपना चाहती है। बार-बार नाम…
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) December 15, 2025
गांधी जी ने ‘रघुपति राघव राजा राम’ को लेकर नेशनल एंथम बनाया था
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) December 16, 2025
BJP MP कंगना रनौत
चलो भाई आज नया नेशनल एंथम भी पता चला है!
BJP में एक से एक शिरोमणि भरे पड़े हैं 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/9DvyV5xLb1
