By P. Sreekumaran
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The desperate attempt of the Opposition parties in Kerala – the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – to extract political capital out of the Sabarimala issue seems to be reaching nowhere.
The main reason for the failure of the Opposition mission to gain traction is the promptness with which the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government has taken corrective steps.
The issue-starved Opposition had pulled out all the stops to discredit the State Government for what it decried as its failure to control the massive crowds of devotees who thronged the famous Sabarimala for the annual pilgrimage.
Both the UDF and the BJP launched a vituperative attack against the Government on its so-called failure to manage the crowd in the early days of the Sabarimala season which began a week back. The so-called chaos of the first few days was due to the unprecedented rush of pilgrims this season, which was more than the police and administration could cope with. Still, it is to the credit of the State Government that it managed to get a quick grip on the situation and restored order in no time- an act which deprived the Opposition of a potent weapon to belabour the Government.
The Government’s steps have restored calm in Sabarimala. Nearly six lakh devotees have completed the trek to the hill shrine in the past week. The Government’s ‘failure’ on the crowd management front at Sabarimala was a ‘bonus’ for the Opposition which was busy weaponising the High Court-monitored probe into alleged misappropriation of gold involving Travancore Devaswom Board(TDB) officials. The High Court’s direction that spot booking be capped at 5,000 instead of the original 20, 000 also helped to bring the situation under control. The Government deserves praise for averting a stampede-like situation – unlike the stampede at the Kumbha Mela in Uttar Pradesh, which claimed over 70 lives.
The reasons for the unusually heavy flow of devotees are there for all to see. First and foremost was the heavy rush – over two lakh pilgrims had visited the temple in 48 hours – through the forest routes and a surge in footfalls.
The correctives were put in place on a war footing. While virtual bookings remained unaltered, spot bookings were slashed from 20,000 to 5,000. The impact was immediate. Footfalls from the neighbouring States came down drastically. The signals were unmistakable: order had returned. The forest trails became quieter. Pilgrims were quick to appreciate the return to normal. Former DGP of Kerala Alexander Jacob was of the opinion that the Government and the Kerala police deserve praise for averting a stampede. Those who maintained a deafening silence over the Kumbha Mela stampede which claimed over 70 lives were frothing at the mouth over the so-called crowd mismanagement!
A new consultative committee consisting of the political coordinator, the TDB Executive Officer and the Special Commissioner – is in place now. The rate of movement up the holy steps in Sabarimala has risen to more than 70 pilgrims a minute as against 45 earlier. A 140-member Rapid Action Force will support crowd management.
The quick corrective action has allayed the fears of the devotees that the Sabarimala season would be vitiated by untoward incidents. Pilgrims are now visiting the hill shrine with a sense of calm. The Opposition’s hopes on exploiting the issue in the campaign to the local bodies elections in the state have been belied.
The LDF Government has taken the correct stand right at the beginning. It welcomed the High Court-monitored probe in the gold ‘misappropriation’ issue. Nobody however high and mighty he or she may be, would be protected, declared Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M) state secretary M. V. Govindan. The CPI(M) has – rightly so – taken the stand that no immediate action would be taken against Former TDB chief A. Padmakumar, who is only an accused. A man is presumed not guilty unless it is proved otherwise in a court of law. So far, there has been no clinching evidence against Padmakumar, who has been arrested and remanded to custody. The trajectory of the probe and the outcome of the case would determine the CPI(M)’s action.
Govindan has declared that the CPI(M) would not shield those who have misplaced the trust of the LDF Government which entrusted them with key assignments and responsibilities. Apart from Padmakumar, the SIT has arrested former TDB Commissioner and later Devaswom president N. Vasu, former administrative officer Murari Babu, former executive officer D. Sudheesh Kumar and former Thiruvabharanam Commissioner K. S. Baiju.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team(SIT) probing the misappropriation of Sabarimala Ayyappa temple artefacts is said to be close to fixing legal accountability for chartering the gold-plated copper panels to wealthy worshippers for private veneration at their homes and business premises. Social media videos have shown the main accused Unnikrishnan Potti offering puja to the gilded panels covering the doorway of the sanctum sanctorum on the private premises of celebrities in 2019.
On its part, a confident LDF is going full steam ahead with its campaign in the local body elections. The Front feels that the welfare measures and the development activities initiated by the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Government would yield rich dividends in the upcoming elections. (IPA Service)
