THIRUVANANTHAPURAM / KONNI: With only four days left for Kerala’s vote, Prime Minister Modi on Friday brought the latent Sabarimala issue to center stage once again, leaving LDF, which has avoided the issue so far, and UDF, which It has only done a little better. , there is no other option but to directly address the emotional issue.
In an unprecedented gesture, Modi began his speech at Konni in the Pathanamthitta district by invoking Lord Ayyappa and chanting ‘Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa’ loudly and clearly three times and exhorting his audience to follow his example. The Prime Minister also paid tribute to Jesus Christ on the occasion of Good Friday, saying that “we remember his service and sacrifice.”
Launching a barrage at both LDF and UDF, Modi called the fronts ‘twins’ and, alluding to the Bible, said that both are guilty of ‘seven deadly sins’. The prime minister appealed to voters to give the NDA a chance to form a government and promised to build a Kerala they dream of. He said Congress and the CPM were getting closer in Bengal after every and a logical step after such proximity would be a total merger.
CPM politburo member MA Baby criticized Modi for singing “Saranam Ayyappa” in Konni, saying the prime minister was violating the secular values followed by previous Indian prime ministers. Speaking at an electoral convention in Karunagappally in Kollam, Baby said that ‘Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa’ can be sung in Sabarimala or in a place of worship, but it is not correct to sing it in a public meeting, that also in an election rally.
The CPM and UDF will be forced to confront the Sabarimala problem in at least some districts of southern and central Kerala, where the problem and its aftermath remain fresh in public memory.
In Thiruvananthapuram later that night, Modi, without naming minister devaswom K Surendran, said that a city minister whose role was to support the temples had worked as a “brain” to pour lathis on the devotees in Sabarimala. He said local UDF and LDF MLAs faced serious charges such as accumulating disproportionate assets, disrespect for women and destruction of public property.
In an unprecedented gesture, Modi began his speech at Konni in the Pathanamthitta district by invoking Lord Ayyappa and chanting ‘Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa’ loudly and clearly three times and exhorting his audience to follow his example. The Prime Minister also paid tribute to Jesus Christ on the occasion of Good Friday, saying that “we remember his service and sacrifice.”
Launching a barrage at both LDF and UDF, Modi called the fronts ‘twins’ and, alluding to the Bible, said that both are guilty of ‘seven deadly sins’. The prime minister appealed to voters to give the NDA a chance to form a government and promised to build a Kerala they dream of. He said Congress and the CPM were getting closer in Bengal after every and a logical step after such proximity would be a total merger.
CPM politburo member MA Baby criticized Modi for singing “Saranam Ayyappa” in Konni, saying the prime minister was violating the secular values followed by previous Indian prime ministers. Speaking at an electoral convention in Karunagappally in Kollam, Baby said that ‘Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa’ can be sung in Sabarimala or in a place of worship, but it is not correct to sing it in a public meeting, that also in an election rally.
The CPM and UDF will be forced to confront the Sabarimala problem in at least some districts of southern and central Kerala, where the problem and its aftermath remain fresh in public memory.
In Thiruvananthapuram later that night, Modi, without naming minister devaswom K Surendran, said that a city minister whose role was to support the temples had worked as a “brain” to pour lathis on the devotees in Sabarimala. He said local UDF and LDF MLAs faced serious charges such as accumulating disproportionate assets, disrespect for women and destruction of public property.
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