By Rajeev Ramachandran
With the Sabarimala pilgrimage season about to begin, the Sangh Parivar has started yet another attempt to stir up a communal issue, hoping to reap political dividends, as it believes it did after the controversial Supreme Court ruling on women’s entry into the Sabarimala shrine in 2018.
This time, with the pre-season preparations coinciding with the by-elections in the Chelakkara and Palakkad Assembly segments as well as the Waqf land controversy in Munambam in Ernakulam, the Hindutva brigade has begun mixing politics by linking all the three issues.
Ominous words from BJP
“Shabarimala, Ayyappa’s land…will it not be called Waqf tomorrow?” These words, from senior BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan at a rally in election-bound Chelakkara, have sparked a heated debate on social media.
It has sent a ripple through the broader social sphere, across politics, religion and historical narratives, raising concerns over communal undertones and political maneuvering.
“In Sabarimala, Lord Ayyappa sits above the 18 steps, while below is a place for Vavar. If one day it’s claimed that Vavar gave that land to the Waqf, the next day, Sabarimala will belong to the Waqf. Ayyappa will have to leave. Shall we allow that? Isn’t Velankanni an important place for Christians here? If tomorrow it’s said that Velankanni is Waqf land, will we hand it over? The Waqf amendment was introduced to prevent this,” Gopalakrishnan said.
Giving a communal twist
Gopalakrishnan’s remarks were aimed at framing the issue as a threat to the Hindu identity.
This story was originally published in thefederal.com. Read the full story here.
