Sabarimala: BJP shifts focus, plans hunger strike outside secretariat

On Monday, party general secretary A N Radhakrishnan will begin an indefinite hunger strike in front of the state secretariat demanding that fabricated cases against party leaders be withdrawn

BJP supporters shout slogans as they block a highway during a protest against the arrest of their leader K Surendran, who police said was taken into preventive custody on Saturday night at Nilakkal base camp near the Sabarimala temple (File/REUTERS/Sivaram V)

Even as the situation cools in Sabarimala, the BJP, which had earlier announced an action plan for a protest at the temple till December 15, has changed tack. On Monday, party general secretary A N Radhakrishnan will begin an indefinite hunger strike in front of the state secretariat demanding that fabricated cases against party leaders be withdrawn and for better facilities for pilgrims at Sabarimala.

Sabarimala premises had witnessed tense days on several occasions in the last month after devotees, Hindu organisations and the BJP protested against young women’s entry to the temple following a recent verdict of the Supreme Court.

The indefinite hunger strike was not part of the BJP’s Sabarimala action plan in December, which included collecting 1 crore signatures from across the state, honouring senior Sabarimala pilgrims (known as guru swamis), and giving memberships to those who join the party over the temple issue. The party had identified leaders from across the state who would go to Sabarimala till the second week of December to give leadership to “devotees who reach the shrine to protect the traditions and rituals at the temple”.

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Bid to keep up momentum amid unease

With the Kerala High Court ruling that there should not be any protests at the Sabarimala temple, the BJP and Sangh Parivar affiliates are trying to protract its agitation by launching an indefinite hunger strike in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram. The decision has, however, created uneasiness among party leaders, who fear that it could lose the momentum and the political gains.

RSS sources said, “We have got an informal assurance from police that no young woman would be escorted to the temple, as it happened last month. If no young women turn up for trekking to the temple, we can’t take the agitation forward. At the same time, we can’t create a situation in which the momentum of the agitation is suddenly lost.”
Another RSS leader said, “We want peace to prevail at the temple. At the same time, the agitation cannot be abandoned midway. I understand that activists of Sabarimala Action Council, an umbrella of 41 Hindu organisations, would be at the temple during the pilgrim season to ensure that no young women visit the temple. If required, we will intervene. Now, the agitation in the state capital will not be against young women’s entry, but to improve facilities at the temple.”

State BJP president P S Sreedharan Pillai said the party had not abandoned its agitation at Sabarimala. “Instead, we are extending the agitation to the state capital. The agitation at the shrine will be taken forward by the Sabarimala Action Council, in which RSS is also involved. Besides, BJP leaders would breach prohibitory orders at Nilakkal base camp once in a week.”

Pillai said the agitation in the state capital would be against the CPM bid to destroy the temple. “CPM has fabricated cases against our leaders, including general secretary K Surendran. The hunger strike will also demand withdrawal of prohibitory orders at the temple,” he said.

Regarding the decision to shift the BJP agitation to the state capital being construed as part of an understanding with the CPM, senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan said in Kozhikode that no leader with self-respect could go for such a settlement. “Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should not think that he can suppress the agitation of the faithful,” he said.

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