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With Kerala going to vote in the general elections on April 23, the state Chief Electoral Officer has warned parties against invoking or pushing “religious propaganda” based on the Supreme Court’s judgment last year allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple.
“Citing or invoking or doing some sort of religious propaganda based on the Sabarimala issue by invoking the name of God will be a clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct. We will take action accordingly,” Teeka Ram Meena, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram Monday.
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The CEO said a meeting would be held with representatives of all parties on Tuesday in which the issue would be discussed at length.
The landmark ruling last year overturned a traditional ban on the entry of women of menstruating age, between 10-50 years, to the hilltop shrine. But it sparked protests by right-wing groups, backed by the RSS and BJP, who alleged that implementing the verdict would insult Hindu sentiments and weaken temple traditions and customs. It also ended up pitting the BJP against the ruling Left government which argued for implementation of the court’s order. The Opposition Congress also spoke against the ruling and supported the filing of review petitions against the verdict. Last month, the top court reserved its verdict on a clutch of petitions asking the bench to review its earlier judgment.
The Model Code of Conduct is a set of general precepts for model behaviour during elections to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. This code, among other things, expects that political parties and candidates do not indulge in activities that could create tensions between different castes and communities. The Kerala Chief Electoral Officer’s statement on parties using the Sabarimala issue during campaign is a bid to enforce the above stated provision of the Model Code of Conduct. The Model Code of Conduct is only a set of guidelines with no statutory backing. In case of violation, the Commission usually resorts to censure. However, there have been examples in the past when the Election Commission has invoked sections of Indian Penal Code against violators for spreading enmity between communities and even banned people from campaigning.
Meanwhile, the BJP opposed the stand of the CEO. “The stand taken by the Left government in the case of Sabarimala would 100% become an issue of discussion in the election. Nobody can interfere in that. To ask us not to talk about Sabarimala in the election goes against rationality,” BJP state general secretary K Surendran told reporters.
