Sabarimala visitors 'Urban Naxals, should be probe to identify genuine devotees': V Muraleedharan
Sabarimala, Nov 18: The Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan referred the devotees of visiting the shrine of Sabarimala as 'urban naxals, anarchists and atheists' on Sunday. Such a remark came on Sunday after the temple opened for the two months long Mandala-Makaravillakku pilgrimage season on Saturday evening.
The Union Minister has also said that it should be probed whether they are genuine devotees.
The Muraleedharan was quoted while saying to media, "The people who are going to temple now, are urban naxals, anarchists and atheists. I don't think they're devotees. They want to prove that they have gone to Sabarimala Temple. Whether they're really devotees, it should be examined."
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The ministers' comments came following the Supreme Court's decision to refer to a larger bench re-examination of religious issues including those arising out of its 2018 verdict that lifted the centuries-old ban on women of menstruating age visiting the shrine of Lord Ayyappa.
According
to
police,
on
Saturday
after
the
temple
was
opened,
nearly
ten
young
women
from
Andhra
Pradesh,
who
arrived
at
Pamba
to
offer
prayers
were
sent
back.
In
2018,
the
government
of
Kerala
had
provided
protection
to
the
women
devotees
who
visited
the
temple.
However,
this
year
they
have
made
it
clear
that
it
would
not
encourage
women
who
want
to
enter
the
shrine
for
publicity.