'Hamas matters but not faith of so many Hindus...' Rajeev Chandrasekhar slams Kerala govt over Sabarimala rush
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticized the Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala for its handling of the Sabarimala pilgrimage, expressing concern about the treatment of Ayyappa devotees.
FollowHamas matters, but not the faith of so many Hindus, said Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar while slamming the Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala and sharing videos of hardships being faced by pilgrims visiting Sabarimala. The Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to say, "Terrible and shameful way to deal with the faith of and treat thousands of #Ayyappa devotees at this very holy months at #Sabarimala. For @pinarayivijayan & also Cong led #INDI Alliance, Hamas matters but the faith of so many Hindus doesn't matter at all."
The minister's remarks came after a BJP leader shared videos claiming that Sabarimala pilgrims were stranded without food, water, or even basic sanitation. "14 hours of torture for Ayyappa devotees," claimed BJP's Anoop Antony.
To note, the Kerala high court had, in a special sitting on Monday, directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to provide water, snacks and other facilities at 'edathavalams (halting points)' to devotees on their journey to the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala for the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage.
High Court Intervention
Responding to reports of devotees, including children, being stranded on the roads to Sabarimala for over 12 hours without access to food or water, a bench comprising justices Anil K Narendran and G Girish issued a directive, as disclosed by an anonymous lawyer familiar with the case. The court also instructed the state police chief to oversee crowd management and deploy additional personnel if necessary.
This year, the Sabarimala pilgrimage has experienced a significant surge in participants, with devotees from neighbouring states such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka expressing on television their dissatisfaction with the lack of provisions along the route to Sabarimala. Pilgrims at Sannidhanam in Sabarimala reported being stuck in queues for extended periods.
Huge rush
On Sunday, approximately 1.2 lakh people arrived at the shrine, and a similar number was recorded on Monday, according to officials from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). There has been an unprecedented increase in the number of children undertaking the pilgrimage this year, officials noted.
The influx of pilgrims during the Mandala puja has presented challenges, according to TDB president P S Prasanth. He mentioned that parking capacity was increased from 7,000 to 8,000, and vehicles were directed to areas where food and water were available.
Prasanth reassured, "We believe no one will have to go back without getting the darshan of Lord Ayyappa." Authorities reported that 88,000 pilgrims were booked through a virtual queue on Monday, with additional individuals expected to arrive without registration.
Revenue of Rs 204.30 crore in last 39 days
The revenue collection at Sabarimala surpassed Rs 200 crore on Tuesday, with TDB president P S Prasanth stating that the temple received Rs 204.30 crore in the last 39 days until December 25. The revenue includes offerings of Rs 63.89 crore as 'kanikka' by devotees and Rs 96.32 crore through the sale of 'aravana' (sweet offering).
After the culmination of the first leg of the two-month-long annual pilgrimage season with the Mandala Pooja on December 27, the shrine is scheduled to close at 11 pm on Wednesday and reopen on December 30 for the Makaravilakku rituals. The Makaravilakku ritual at the Sabarimala hill shrine is set to take place on January 15, according to Prasanth.
