‘Advised Tantri to close Sabarimala temple during 2018 women entry row’

Alappuzha: Senior BJP leader P S Sreedharan Pillai on Friday, February 20, said that he had advised Kandararu Rajeevaru, the Tantri of Sabarimala Temple, to close the temple doors during the 2018 controversy over the entry of women of menstrual age.

He was speaking to reporters after visiting Rajeevaru at his residence in Chengannur and handing over a copy of his new book, ‘Sabarimala Samaravum Suvarna Avasara Vidhiyum’, which will be released on Saturday.

Rajeevaru, who was the Tantri of the hill shrine in 2018, was recently released on bail by the Kollam Vigilance Court in connection with the Sabarimala gold loss cases.

The 2018 women’s entry row pertained to a Supreme Court of India verdict that allowed women of menstruating age to enter the Sabarimala temple, triggering widespread protests across the state.

Pillai said that a chapter in his book refers to the Tantri and mentions that he had advised Rajeevaru to close the temple ‘nada’ during the row.

“Yes, I told him to close the temple. On the same day, without following norms, two women—Rehana Fathima and Kavitha—dressed in police uniforms and assisted by the police, reached near the holy 18th step of the temple. It was a state-sponsored trip,” he alleged.

He claimed that the two women were carrying articles not usually carried by devotees.

“Was it appropriate for the government or for a Malayali?” he asked.

He also questioned whether the state had any right to provide police uniforms to civilians.

Pillai said that the Tantri had announced that the temple would not be closed following the 2018 controversy over women’s entry.

He alleged that a day after the announcement, an attempt was made to escort two women to the hill shrine.

“As two women were escorted to the temple, I spoke with the Tantri and told him to close the temple doors. The Tantri can close the doors, and it would not amount to contempt of court. It would not be a violation of law, rituals, or traditions,” he said.

Pillai said that he had told the Tantri that he and other devotees were ready to reach Sabarimala to thwart women’s entry and were prepared to face legal consequences, which he has also mentioned in his book.

“After the government-sponsored move at Sabarimala backfired, they have now retaliated,” Pillai said, referring to the arrest of the Tantri in the gold loss cases.

He said that immediately after the Tantri’s arrest, he and the BJP had maintained that the law should take its own course.

“However, after studying the case, I realised that it would not sustain, as there was no point in it. The court, after going through the records, found that there was not even an iota of evidence against him,” Pillai said.

He added that the arrest of the Tantri should be an eye-opener.

“The reason did not emerge suddenly but is the result of the stand taken by the party ruling the state over the past several years. The Tantri was jailed for 41 days on allegations of conspiracy, for which evidence could have been produced before the court instead of being arrested,” he said.

Pillai also said that his earlier statement on women’s entry, describing it as a “golden opportunity,” was recognised by the Supreme Court as the basic right of a party state president, and that he has referred to the related judicial proceedings in his book.