THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Finally, the PuKaSa (Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham), the cultural wing of the CPM, is coming out to defend the party and the Left in the Sabarimala women entry issue. The last CPM state committee has decided to counter the propaganda against the party by rallying intellectuals and cultural leaders.
The PuKaSa will organise cultural debates on ‘Sabarimala - Women entry and Supreme Court verdict’ across the state. The state-level programme will be inaugurated by Swami Sandeepanandagiri at Gandhi Park in Thiruvananthapuram on October 18 at 5 pm. PuKaSa president Shaji N Karun will preside over the meet which will be attended by writers, socio-cultural activists and people from various walks of life. After long legal fight, the SC issued its verdict allowing women of all ages to enter Sabarimala.
The verdict should be viewed as a significant milestone in women movement in the state. “Freedom to worship is as important as any other fundamental freedom. The downtrodden in society won this right after long struggles and fight. It’s an insult to society that such restrictions are still practised against women,” PuKaSa said and added there’s a responsibility for everyone to accept and implement the verdict.
At a time when certain political parties are trying to create communal tension under the cover of the verdict, writers and cultural activists have been supporting the SC verdict. “It’s natural to have confusion in society when certain seemingly unbroken rituals are obstructed. Such concerns had come up when Sati was banned,” said Ashokan Charuvil, secretary, PuKaSa.
Hindu outfit plans mammoth prayer meet today
T’Puram: The Hindu Parliament Organisation will stage a massive prayer meet and agitation in front of the Secretariat on Tuesday pertaining to Sabarimala issue. Over 1 lakh people are expected to participate in the meet. In a statement, the organisation members said they would send a representation to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking action to prevent the entry of women of all ages to Sabarimala temple. According to the organisation, the state government should defer the Supreme Court judgment until the verdict of the review petition filed in the apex court. They also demanded the postponement of the Supreme Court judgment by urging the Devaswom Board to file a petition in SC considering the peculiar circumstances prevailing in Sabarimala and Kerala. The members also said Sabarimala is not a place to show gender equality.