THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday exhorted the people in the state not to fall prey to the hideous designs of vested interests, who nurture the dream of creating tension at the pilgrim centre and thereby dividing the people. There have been concerted campaigns across the state with an objective of misleading and creating confusion among the people through various modes including social media, he said.
“The people should be wary of such evil designs. The state government should not allow the Sabarimla to be an epicentre of the troublemakers and it will do everything to make it a peaceful spiritual destination. Any untoward incident happening at the hill shrine will leave a black mark on the reputation of the state and its renowned pilgrim centre which receives thousands of devotees from neighbouring states,” the chief minister said.
“The state government has made a lot of security arrangements at Sabarimala as part of ensuring safety and security of the devotees. The people should also cooperate with the state government as all these security measures were taken with a view of helping the devotees and ultimately holding a peaceful pilgrimage,” he said.
The chief minister also urged the media to keep restraint while reporting. “The people have also been advised to alert the enforcement agencies if they come across any campaigns aimed at creating confusion and trouble in social media. The state has set a praiseworthy example during the time of flood by shouldering the responsibility of rebuilding the state. The same spirit has to be kept alive this time as well,” he said.