THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP leaders warned of strong repercussions if the government intended to forcibly take women in the age group of 10 to 50 to Sabarimala hill shrine. Senior BJP leaders said that the government should maintain the status quo.
"We warn the state government of serious consequences if it moves ahead with bringing in non -believers to Sabarimala hill shrine. BJP welcomes the Supreme Court judgment, but wants the government not to support the entry of women in Sabarimala," BJP state general secretary MT Ramesh told media persons.
"The Supreme Court has not stayed the previous order, but it doesn’t mean that it has upheld the previous judgment. Since there is some incongruity in its earlier verdict, it decided to refer the issue to a larger bench. So, the state government should also exercise some restraint by not entertaining non-believers in the hill shrine till the court finds a solution to this issue," Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan said.
Former Mizoram Governor and BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan said that the government would have to face serious consequences if it tries to support entry of women to Sabarimala temple even after the five-member bench of the Supreme Court referred the matter to a seven-member constitutional bench.
The apex court judgment is a setback to the state government that tries to replace the decades-old traditions without giving a second thought in the name of renaissance. Since the apex court is also for hearing the plea of seeking entry for Muslim women in mosques, the state government should exercise restraint, said senior BJP leader O Rajagopal.