PATHANAMTHITTA: Former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan, who was earlier BJP state chief, told reporters here on Wednesday the entire happenings at Sabarimala were indeed an instance of blatant religious harassment. After offering prayers at the Aranamula Lord Parthasarathi temple and Sabari Balasramam while en route to Sabarimala, Kummanam sought to flag an inherent contradiction in the government’s stance that the Sabarimala issue is centred around gender equality.
According to him, if indeed gender equality is the main sticking point, how on earth could the State Election Commission impose a blanket ban on making the Sabarimala issue a poll plank.On SNDP Yogam supremo Vellappally Natesan’s posturing, Kummanam said it is unlikely to impact the BJP-NDA’s LS poll prospects in Kerala.
Kummanam expressed confidence that Vellappally will not undermine his victory prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram LS seat if indeed the BJP-NDA fielded him as its candidate from the prestigious seat. He sounded pretty upbeat on the BJP-NDA putting up a good show in the state in the coming Parliament polls.
Regarding his pilgrimage to Sabarimala, Kummanam said it is his responsibility and privilege to offer worship at the Lord Ayyappa temple. However, when he was the Mizoram Governor, protocol and security restrictions prevented him from visiting Sabarimala. According to him, it would have posed hardships to fellow devotees during the pilgrimage season.