Women, who entered Sabarimala, were dressed as transgenders: Meenakshi Lekhi
What's the story
BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi came down heavily on Kerala government, led by Pinarayi Vijayan, on Friday after two women entered the Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa.
Lekhi asked why were women sneaked into the holy place at night. She maintained women who entered the temple weren't devotees of Ayyappa.
She further claimed Vijayan turned the state into a battleground.
Here's what went down.
Twitter Post
Women were taken at 1 in night: Lekhi
Meenakshi Lekhi,BJP on #SabarimalaTemple: If there is one person who has converted it into a clash zone, it is Mr Vijayan (Kerala CM). Mahilaon ko 'hijra' banakar lekar jana raat ko 1 baje, agar woh bhakt mahila thi toh din mein aana chahiye tha, lekin raat ko yeh karwahi ki gayi pic.twitter.com/5NGTaeJAXt
— ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2019
What happened
Backstory: Two women scripted history by entering Sabarimala
To recall, on Wednesday, at around 3:45 AM, two women Bindu Ammini and Kanakadurga had entered the hilltop shrine.
Notably, after they entered, the temple was shut for nearly an hour for 'purification'.
Meanwhile, Kerala turned into a war zone with clashes breaking out. 1,369 people have been arrested so far.
Vijayan claimed the government didn't have any role in the women's entry.
Clashes
Many were injured in violence which broke out
On Thursday, the Sabarimala Karma Samiti (SKS) which is an umbrella organization of various Hindu outfits called for a statewide bandh. By the evening more than 30 police personnel were injured.
Notably, a BJP worker, who was hurt during stone pelting on Wednesday, succumbed to injuries.
Kerala Governor Sathasivam urged people to maintain peace and sought a report from Vijayan government on the violence.
Quote
Meanwhile, Vijayan slammed BJP and RSS
Meanwhile, Vijayan hit out at BJP and its mentor body, RSS, for the violence in the state. He said, "The women were not airdropped. They went through the normal route. They were even helped by other devotees."
Details
Separately, Shashi Tharoor says women's entry was 'unnecessary'
Separately, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said women who believe in the legend of Lord Ayyappa know they shouldn't go to Sabarimala before turning 50.
He said women, who visited the temple before reaching the age, didn't believe in the Lord.
Tharoor also said the entry was an unnecessary provocative step 'at a time when the pilgrimage season was going on successfully'.