BENGALURU: Even as preparations are on to launch a fresh phase of nation-wide campaign for construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya with a series of rallies all over the country, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to give a big push to extend the Sabarimala agitation in Kerala to other southern states including Karnataka.
A massive ‘Hindu Samajotsav’ has been organised in Kasargod, a Kerala district bordering Karnataka, on December 16, which will be addressed by the UP chief minister. The rally is not only seen as the launch pad to spread the Sabarimala agitation to other southern states, but also as a way of setting the tone for the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala and coastal Karnataka region.
Apart from the Hindus of Kerala, people from Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Madikeri in Karnataka are also expected to participate in the rally. “The rally has been organised to mobilise public opinion against Kerala government’s anti-Hindu stand over Sabarimala issue, love jihad, and other issues which are threatening the interests of Hindu community,” Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) secretary for Mangaluru division, Sharan Pumpwell told The New Indian Express.
The rally comes in the backdrop of a recent meeting of RSS leaders in Mangaluru where it is said to have been deliberated on the potential of Sabarimala issue to galvanise the Hindu community in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu too.
However, no specific plans have been chalked out yet to organise protests in Karnataka over the Sabarimala issue, said BJP state general secretary N Ravikumar. “We are keen to take up the issue in Karnataka too as there is a huge presence of Ayyappa devotees who oppose the apex court order on allowing women into Sabarimala temple and the Kerala government’s stand over the issue.”