The Polarity of Sabarimala

The Sangh Parivar believes that there is an international conspiracy against Sabarimala, and not aggressive misogyny at play

- Shahina K K

KRISHNA KUMAR is busy with multiple responsibilities in his new avatar as a ‘comrade’. Apart from his busy schedule as a member of the CPI(M) at the local level, he has to also perform his duty as the state committee member of the Shopper’s Union of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the district level member of the Rehabilitation and Palliative Care in Pathanamthitta run by the CPI(M).

But for over 40 years of his life, he was an ardent supporter of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and an active worker of the BJP. Krishnakumar had been the district committee member of the BJP till 2020. He was also the organiser of the first-ever public protest against the Supreme Court verdict approving the entry of women of menstruating age in the Sabarimala temple.

In 2021, Krishnakumar quit the BJP and cut off his relationship with the RSS. He joined the CPI(M). Now he regrets his belief that women of menstruating age should not enter the Sabarimala temple. “I am ashamed. I regret it. Menstruation is very much a natural thing. Discriminating against women for having a natural body process is inhuman,” he says.

Krishnakumar recollects the memories of 2018, the year in which Kerala witnessed two major disasters—the floods and the communal polarisation that unleashed aggressive street protests. “The Sabarimala protest will be a black spot in the history of Kerala. There are genuine devotees who were hurt by the Supreme Court’s verdict. They were misled by the Sangh Parivar and had become puppets in their political game,” says Krishnakumar.