On December 26 evening Kerala turned into a glowing chunk of landmass with 22 lakh people, a majority of them women, converging to light Ayyappa Jyothi. This was in response to nefarious designs of the atheist govt. which is doing everything possible to trample upon the traditions of Hindus. Devotees lined up on the left side of the roads – from Kasaragod to Anakamali in Ernakulam district on National Highway and from there to Kalikkavila, Thiruvananthapuram district, the border between Kerala Tamil Nadu, on Main Central (MC) Road. From Kalikkavila to Kanyakumari the people lined up on more than 50 km long Thiruvananthapuram -Kanyakumari Highway. About 70% of the participants everywhere were women and young girls. The length covered by the programme was more than 800 km.
The starting point at Hosankidi Sri Dharma Sashta Temple was graced by Yogananda Saraswathi, Kondayoor Ashram head. At Kalikkavila, super star Suresh Gopi MP lit the lamp.
The turnout has rattled the CPM-led government which is facing severe problems in organising women’s wall on January 1st. Devaswom minister Kadakampalli Surendran said the government if wanted it could have taken women into Sabarimala by force. But it didn’t do because it was not keen on that. It is a known fact that the government was trying its level best to take young women inside the temple but had to leave it midway due unprecedented resistance from devotees.
Meanwhile, The CPI(M) is using pressure tactics to bring women for the programme. Through officials, it has conveyed to women SHGs (Kudumba Sree) workers that they would not paid any benefits if they did not participate in the event. The government is giving additional Rs 500 per person and a day’s wage for beneficiaries of the rural employment scheme for participating in the wall. Still, the party is finding it difficult to convince women. In many places, women were tricked into attending meetings held to prepare for the wall.
Interestingly, CPM leader and Travancore Devaswom Board chairman A. Padmakumar told the reporters that Ayyappa Jyothi would help the Sabarimala pilgrimage. He was referring to the less number of devotees this year hence the alarming drop in the temple’s revenue. The revenue in December 2017 was Rs 164.89 crore while this year it is Rs 59 crore.