An all-party meeting on the Sabarimala issue here on Thursday saw the Kerala government sticking to its stand of being “duty-bound” to implement the Supreme Court order allowing the entry of women of all ages into the Lord Ayyappa temple, leading to a walkout by Opposition parties.
The Opposition parties made a demand for putting off the implementation of the apex court order till January 22, when the review petitions against the verdict are slated to come up for hearing.
Rejecting the demand, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan pointed out that since the court had not stayed its September 28 verdict, there was no other option but to allow all women in the age group of 10-50 years during the upcoming pilgrim season. As no consensus emerged at the nearly three-hour-long meeting, opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the BJP staged a walkout at the fag end of the crucial parleys, convened two days ahead of the temple’s opening on November 17 for the two-month long pilgrim season.
Frenzied protests by devotees and various Hindu outfit activists had prevented some women in the 10-50 age group from entering the temple when it opened twice since last month after the apex court order.
