G Sukumaran Nair, general secretary of the Nair Service Society (NSS), said it seems that the Congress did not want Hindu votes. Maybe they only want minority votes, he added.
In an interview given to an English daily(published on Tuesday), Sukumaran Nair has come down heavily on the Congress state leadership for boycotting the Global Ayyappa Sangamam, held at Pampa on Saturday by the LDF government and the Travancore Devaswom Board(TDB).
Applauding the LDF government for taking steps to safeguard the Sabarimala traditions, the leader of the organisation of the Nair community said the LDF government has assured that it will resolve the issue in Sabarimala.
“They(the government) also assured us that customs will be protected and they won’t do anything against it. The assurance was conveyed by Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan, with the Chief Minister’s knowledge,” Sukumaran Nair said.
To a query whether the government also gave an assurance that activists like Bindu Ammini (Who entered the Sabarimala temple allegedly with the support of the LDF government after the Supreme Court order allowing women of reproductive age to enter the temple) won’t be part of the Sangamam, he said, “That we don’t know. However, they were not present at the Sangamam.”
Patting the LDF government for protecting the Sabarimala traditions, he said, “Though the Supreme Court ruling went against us, the LDF government did not enforce women’s entry. If they wanted, they could have done it. They kept traditions intact. The BJP government at the Centre did nothing. Neither did the Congress.”
When the interviewer asked whether he thinks Congress did not want Hindu votes, the NSS general secretary said, “It seems so. It seems they do not want Hindu votes. Maybe they only want minority votes.”
The much-hyped Global Ayyappa Sangamam held on Saturday at Pampa by the LDF government and the Travancore Devaswom Board(TDB) had been a damp squib with lesser participation of devotees in the event. Pictures and footage showing empty chairs across venues broadcast by news channels and later widely circulated on social media, sparked criticism from Opposition parties, which branded the sangamam a “massive failure.
In contrast, the Sabarimala Samrakshana Sangamam, organised under the umbrella group of Hindu outfits led by Sabarimala Karma Samithi and the Hindu Aikya Vedi, drew thousands of devotees to Pandalam on Monday. Though the NSS and SNDP Yogam did not extend support, the gathering witnessed the participation of over 150 community organisations, 60 sanyasi leaders, representatives of Hindu outfits, Ayyappa Seva Samajams from different states, Ayyappa devotee groups, and temple functionaries, among others.