'Zero...respect': BJP slams Kerala minister's conduct during president's Sabarimala visit
What's the story
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kerala leader Anoop Antony Joseph has slammed State Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan for his behavior during President Droupadi Murmu's visit to the Sabarimala temple. In a post on X, Joseph wrote that while President Murmu and others stood with folded hands before Lord Ayyappa, Minister Vasavan "stood right behind her, head high, not even a single gesture of respect."
Criticism voiced
Joseph questions Vasavan's role in managing temple
Joseph further questioned Vasavan's role in managing the temple and its funds, saying if he doesn't believe in Lord Ayyappa, he shouldn't be involved in temple affairs. "Being an atheist is a personal choice, no one objects to that. But if you don't believe in Ayyappa, what business do you have inside His temple or managing the faith of millions?" Joseph wrote.
Resignation demanded
Joseph accuses Vasavan of treating temple as treasury to plunder
Joseph also accused Vasavan of treating the temple as "just another treasury to plunder" and suggested he should resign. President Murmu became the first woman head of state to offer prayers at Sabarimala, performing darshan at Lord Ayyappa sanctum and other nearby temples during her visit to the state. The visit is noteworthy, as it comes years after a landmark 2018 Supreme Court ruling that abolished a restriction on women of menstrual age (10-50) from entering the temple.
SC
What SC said
In the supreme court ruling, then chief justice Dipak Misra said that restrictions put by the Sabarimala temple can't be held as essential religious practice. "No physiological and biological factor can be given legitimacy if it does not pass the test of conditionality." Misra stated that society must undergo a perceptual shift, saying, "Patriarchy in religion cannot be allowed to trump elements of pure devotion borne out of faith and the freedom to practice and profess one's religion."