THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Government and Travancore Devaswom Board’s plan to jointly organise a Global Ayyappa Sangamam, marking the board’s 75th anniversary, has irked the BJP and Sangh Parivar groups.The event, set to take place at Pamba in the third week of September, will bring together Ayyappa devotees from around the globe.According to Kerala Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan, the aim of the Sangamam is to share the message of “Tatvamasi” (That you are) with the world and highlight Sabarimala as a divine, traditional and sustainable global pilgrimage destination.The first-ever global Ayyappa meeting in Kerala will unite devotees from around the world and across India on one platform, with about 3000 representatives expected to attend the sessions. The meeting will feature various sessions and is planned to take place between September 16 and 21, with the exact date yet to be finalised.Arrangements are being made so that invited delegates can arrive a day early, visit the temple and then participate in the meeting. A German tent will be set up at Pampa to accommodate over 3000 delegates, similar to those used for accommodating the devotees during pilgrimage season. This event marks the beginning of larger gatherings involving even more participants in the future. BJP seeks clarificationBJP national executive committee member Kummanam Rajashekharan stated that the Devaswom Minister’s announcement about a global Ayyappa conference at Sabarimala sounds good. However, he emphasised the need for the minister to clarify certain doubts about the event.He questioned whether it was a constitutional violation for a member of a secular government’s Cabinet to organise a gathering of devotees at a Hindu temple.Rajashekharan argued that ministers, elected as MLAs, represent voters of various religions. Hence, do they have the authority to summon devotees to Hindu places of worship in their capacity as MLA and minister?The BJP leader also sought to know if the government has plans to organise similar global gatherings for believers at Christian and Muslim places of worship, akin to the Sabarimala event.The BJP – Sangh Parivar leaders have also criticised the proposed programme, accusing the LDF government of using police repression against Sabarimala devotees during protests against the entry of women aged 10 to 50 in the temple.Political observers say that it is significant that the government has planned the Sabarimala event ahead of the local body elections to be held later this year and the assembly elections early next year. Many believe that the global programme will help the LDF in effectively countering the BJP-Sangh Parivar’s alleged propaganda to paint the communist parties and the Left government as “anti-Hindu.”
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