Differences crop up between RSS leaders, groups over women’s entry in Sabarimala Temple

Women in the 10-50 year age group were barred in Sabarimala citing the celibate nature of the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa. Differences are now visible over the verdict, among RSS leaders.

Differences have cropped in the RSS over the Supreme Court’s verdict allowing women of all ages into Kerala’s Sabarimala temple as some senior leaders have called for changes in age-old rituals and suggested intervention by religious leaders to take a decision.

Ready to Wait is a collective of women floated after SC gave its judgment and said they will enter only after they attain the permissible age.(PTI File Photo)

But Sabarimala Karma Samithi, an apex body of Hindu outfits that spearheaded the agitation against the top court’s verdict in September last year, and Ready to Wait activists have vehemently opposed the stance. Both took to social media to vent out their ire.

Ready to Wait is a collective of women floated after the top court gave its judgment and have said they will enter the hilltop shrine only after they attain the permissible age.

It all began after senior RSS leader and former all-India boudhik pramukh R Hari’s articles in Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh-supported weekly Kesari exhorting religious leaders to help change some of the ‘outdated’ customs and rituals in the community. Hari had also written an article hailing the Supreme Court verdict in RSS mouthpiece ‘Janmabhumi’ last year.

Hindu Ikya Vedi leader RV Babu had also supported him, saying “these changes should come from religious leaders, not from the government.”

But for Sabarimala Karma Samiti and Ready to Wait, the suggestions were difficult to digest and they came out openly against the senior leader.

Sanku T Das, one of the vocal leaders, alleged in his Facebook post that Hari has a personal interest in supporting the entry of all women in Sabarimala. He also said Hari has taken his position as belongs to the Gowda Saraswath Brahmin community, which is against tantric rituals.

“During the election, the CPI(M) took out copies of articles written by Hari to embarrass the BJP’s candidates,” he said adding his arguments provided enough fuel to those who supported the verdict.

Ready to Wait has also decried the move to dilute the ongoing struggle. “Many suffered badly during the agitation. But now we feel it was a part of a larger political agenda,” wrote Padma Pillai of the collective.

Women in the 10-50 age group (childbearing age) were barred in Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district citing the celibate nature of the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa. But the custom was revoked by the Supreme Court on September 28, 2018, leading to massive protests in the state.

Initially, everyone welcomed the verdict but later some political parties including the BJP jumped on the bandwagon to protest the order sensing widespread resentment of devotees and traditionalists.

The Bharatiya Janata Party even made it an issue in the recently-held Lok Sabha election in the southern state.