Won’t allow RSS to turn Sabarimala into another Ayodhya, says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
Kerala, Nov 20: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday he will not allow the RSS to turn the Sabarimala temple into another Ayodhya, referring to the disputed religious site in the Uttar Pradesh town.
Kerala’s chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday he will not allow the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to turn the Sabarimala temple into another Ayodhya, referring to the disputed religious site in the Uttar Pradesh town.
“I will not allow the Sangh Parivar to make Sabarimala into another Ayodhya. There is a concerted bid to defame the state citing Sabarimala,” Vijayan said.
“BJP leaders and ministers are queuing up before Sabarimala to exploit the issue. The government will not allow anyone to fan trouble in Sabarimala,” he said.
The chief minister justified the action taken by the police on Sunday against protesting devotees, saying their intervention helped ease the situation at the shrine to Lord Ayyappa. The present security arrangements at the hilltop shrine will continue to check troublemakers, he added.
Police arrested more than 70 devotees late on Sunday for flouting prohibitory orders outside the Sabarimala temple. The situation at the hilltop shrine was peaceful on Tuesday after Sunday night’s incident.
The temple in Sabarimala opened on Friday for a 64-day pilgrimage, the third time since the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on the entry of women between the age of 10 and 50. There was a string of protests in Kerala in October when the temple opened for the first time after the Supreme Court’s September 28 order.
Traditionalists, who believe the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is celibate, had opposed the court verdict and last month stopped dozen-odd women who tried to enter the temple.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress attacked the Kerala government after the arrest of the devotees on Sunday.
The BJPs state chief PS Sreedharan Pillai said on Monday there was a “police raj” in Sabarimala and that the pilgrimage to the hilltop shrine to Lord Ayyappa was being affected due to their high handedness as he demanded a judicial probe into the incident.
The leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly Ramesh Chennithala asked if Kerala was under Nazi ruler Adolf Hitler’s rule. The senior Congress leader accused the government of trying to “brand” Ayyappa devotees as Sangh Parivar activists and thus helping RSS recruit people to its fold.
Chennithala and Oommen Chandy, the Congress’ general secretary, led a march of the United Democratic Front (UDF) on Tuesday to the hilltop shrine, which will float the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc). They were stopped at the base camp in Nilakkal by police and allowed to proceed to Pampa, second base camp. Pampa is 5.5km away from hilltop.
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
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Cong high command, CM to decide on K'taka Cabinet reshuffle: Minister Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said any decision regarding the cabinet reshuffle rests solely with the Congress high command and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
His remarks come as several party legislators step up their demands for a ministerial role.
Defending the MLAs' right to express their desires, the minister said, "It is natural to have aspirations and there is nothing wrong in seeking a minister post. What is wrong in them (MLAs) asking for an opportunity? Whether to give or not is upto the high command to decide... it is the Chief Minister's discretion..."
Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said the high command will look into these things and decide what needs to be done.
A group of senior Congress legislators, who have served as MLAs for over three terms, called on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday, urging him to rejig the cabinet and give them an opportunity to serve as Ministers.
The group of about 40 legislators has planned to travel to New Delhi on April 11 after the by-polls, to meet the Congress high command and discuss the induction of at least 20 of them during the reshuffle.
Some first and second-time legislators have also recently pressed for a cabinet reshuffle.
Amid the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress with speculations about CM change that has intensified after the government completed half way mark in November, a section of Congress MLAs has been pushing for a cabinet rejig for some time, with several aspirants openly expressing their wish to be inducted.
Karnataka has a sanctioned strength of 34 ministers, including the chief minister. Two cabinet berths are currently vacant — following the resignation of B Nagendra over allegations of embezzlement at the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation, and the sacking of K N Rajanna from the cabinet on the instructions of the party high command.
Asked whether the Congress faced difficulty in finalising candidates for the April 9 by-polls to Bagalkot and Davangere South Assembly segments, Parameshwara said there was no difficulty, and that the party is evaluating candidates in both constituencies, based on winnability as a criterion.
"The Davangere seat was earlier represented by Shamanur Shivashankarappa, so naturally there is demand for the ticket for his family, also as the minority community population is higher in that segment they too are asking for the ticket. Ultimately, the party will decide. In Bagalkote too, there is a demand that tickets be given to the late MLA Meti's son; there are also other aspirants there seeking tickets. The party will decide," he said.
Based on reports from the local workers about winnability, the party will decide on the candidates, he added.
Bypolls for the Bagalkote and Davanagere South assembly constituencies have been necessitated following the deaths of sitting Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, respectively.
To a question regarding AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala's visit to the state, the Home Minister said he is most likely here for discussions regarding the by-polls, and there may also be other matters.
"AICC General Secretary may have come with certain mandates."
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