Sabarimala: BJP and UDF in a trap after HC comments

Thiruvananthapuram: With the Kerala High Court making an observation that the prohibitory orders in Sabarimala was in order, the parties getting into a quandary are BJP and UDF who have been in the path of agitation.

The oral comments made by the High Court amounted to a ratificaion of the government's action. With the court's comments, it can no more be argued that Sabarimala is under a police raj or that devotees do not have an atmosphere for safe entry there.

Both the UDF, which has been conducting a satyagraha at the Assembly gate, and the BJP now in a hunger strike at the Secretariat gate, are raising the demand that the prohibitory orders in Sabarimala be withrawn. The High Court which heard the case on Thursday made it clear that the court has understood from the high power monitoring committee it had appointed that the pilgrims did not face any problem from the prohibitory orders. This has created an impression that the court will eventually ratifty the government action in the final judgement. It is also significant that the same committee against which the government has approached the Supreme Court has submitted a report endorsing government's action.

The BJP had begun its agitation against women's entry. But when the strike turned violent, allegations turned against them that it was becoming a threat to the pilgrims. When police strengthened its presence in order to enfore prohibitory orders, BJP leaders could no longer enter even Nilakkal. With this BJP was forced to shift its agitation to the Secretariat. Together with this, they made a somersault in their demand saying that their strike was not against women's entry but against police curbs and prohibitory orders.

With the High Court's observations, it remains to be seen what stance BJP and UDF would take. Meanwhile, BJP has raised another allegation that the party's general secretary K Surendran has been caught under framed charges. Now that Surendran has been granted bail by the High Court, it can be used as a fig leaf for BJP to slip out of the strike.

The three MLA's of UDF are observing hunger strike with the demand that the large scale police deployment and barricades in Sabarimala should be withdrawn.