Politics clouds global Ayyappa meet as Hindu outfits allege another sacrilege

WITH crucial local body and Assembly elections approaching, politics in the name of the Sabarimala hill shrine has once again turned murky.

- JAISON WILSON @P'Thitta

WITH crucial local body and Assembly elections approaching, politics in the name of the Sabarimala hill shrine has once again turned murky. Hindu outfits have warned of another fiasco, alleging a fresh 'sacrilege' reminiscent of the 2019 massive protests triggered by a few women's attempt to enter the temple.

Amid preparations for the Global Ayyappa Sangam, several Hindu organisations, including the Ayyappa Seva Sangham, have voiced strong opposition to the meet.

Speaking to TNIE, Ayyappa Seva Sangham national vice-president D Vijayakumar said the outfit, founded in 1945 to propagate Ayyappa dharma, even before the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), has always remained apolitical and worked exclusively for devotees.