Thiruvananthapuram: On the second day of CPI(M)’s door-to-door visits to clear the misunderstanding among the people over the Sabarimala issue, the state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the ruling CPI(M) was not against Ayyappa devotees.
Under the initiative, CPI(M) workers will visit homes from 22 to 28 July and hold talks with the public to clear the misconception about the government’s decision over the matter.
Speaking to reporters, he said the government was taking necessary steps to solve the misconception. When on 28 September 2018, the Supreme Court had announced that women of all age group can visit the Ayyappa temple, all political parties welcomed it. But later some parties, such as BJP and right wing outfits, changed their stance and this led to widespread protests, said Kodiyeri.
This influenced the Lok Sabha election results as the ruling party won just one seat and the opposition Congress-led UDF bagged 19 seats.
Last month, after the post-poll evaluation report was submitted, the CPI(M) admitted that the entry of two women- Kanagadurga and Bindu- into the temple on 2 January caused a big impact on the results. UDF and BJP made use of this during the election campaign.