THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and BJP national president Amit Shah on Tuesday engaged in sharp exchanges over Sabarimala after Shah, in a series of tweets, blamed Vijayan for mishandling the sensitive issue and warned the Kerala CM not to treat Ayyappa devotees like the inmates of the Gulag (the forced labour camps of the Soviet era).
“Kerala police is treating young girls, mothers and aged inhumanly, forcing them to take the arduous pilgrimage, without even basic facilities like food, water, shelter & clean toilets,’’ Shah said, adding the BJP would not let the LDF crush the people’s faith with impunity.
“If Pinarayi Vijayan thinks he can rise against people’s movement to preserve Sabarimala by arresting K Surendran, our Thrissur district president and six others, then he is mistaken. We stand firmly with every Ayyappa devotee, who holds the Sabarimala tradition close to his heart,’’ Shah went on to tweet later in the day.
On Tuesday evening, Pinarayi Vijayan came out strongly against the BJP leader. Pinarayi called his allegations unfounded and misleading. The Sabarimala pilgrimage was progressing in a very smooth manner, Pinarayi said, adding the pilgrims have expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made by the government.
“(The) arrangements must have caused inconvenience to the Sangh Parivar elements who are bent on fomenting trouble with ulterior motives. Mr Shah must have been carried away by the campaign unleashed by these elements,’’ Pinarayi said in a Facebook message. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh himself had stated that the government does not have any option but to execute the order of the Supreme Court. This itself is a reply to the allegation levelled by Amit Shah, Pinarayi said.The Human Rights Commission too has made it clear that there has been no serious problems in the conduct of the pilgrimage this year, he said.