Restore spot booking for Sabarimala pilgrims: Kerala Opposition leader Satheesan

In a letter to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, V.D. Satheesan also protested against the Government’s decision to limit the number of pilgrims aspiring for darshan to not more than 80,000 every day

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has urged the State Government to restore spot booking for devotees visiting Sabarimala temple. 

In a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Mr. Satheesan also protested the Government’s decision to limit the number of pilgrims aspiring for darshan to not more than 80,000 every day. 

He said that in previous years, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) had allowed at least 15,000 pilgrims to Sannidhanam every day through spot booking. It had allowed at least 90,000 devotees for darshan.

Demand to continue with spot booking facility at Sabarimala

Despite the relatively relaxed gatekeeping in 2023, Mr. Satheesan pointed out that scores returned home without making the uphill trek to the temple during the 2023 pilgrimage season. 

He said the Government’s decision to allow only those who have reserved their darshan through the TDB’s virtual queue system would create avoidable social tension.

Mr. Satheesan said hundreds of tourists from other States trekked long distances to reach Sabarimala. The Government could not assume that every pilgrim was computer-literate and knowledgeable about booking their places through the online system. 

Mr. Satheesan said preventing pilgrims from getting darshan could cause law and order issues. He urged the government to expand toilets, drinking water, camping and parking facilities to host the lakhs of pilgrims likely to visit Sabarimala during the November-January mandala season. 

CPI demands restoring of spot booking

The Communist Party of India (CPI) found itself on the same page as the Congress-led United Democratic Front, with the key ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) ally demanding that the Government restore spot booking facilities for pilgrims visiting Sabarimala.

CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh could weaponise the distress caused to ordinary pilgrims not attuned to making online bookings against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.

Mr. Viswam said the Sangh Parivar could exploit devotees’ lack of darshan to create social divisions and fuel religious sectarianism for electoral dividends. He said the LDF should deny the Sangh Parivar such perilous political space in Kerala.

Mr. Viswam welcomed the government’s move to restrict darshan to pilgrims who reserve their places online with a rider.

“The government intends to improve crowd control and security management to ensure a hassle-free darshan for Sabarimala devotees. Its intention is laudable. But the government should not implement the move at a stroke, lest it cause consternation among devotees. The administration could implement the new arrangement in phases,” Mr. Viswam said.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran, MP, said the government’s decision to stop spot booking, allow entry to Sabarimala only for those who reserve their darshan online and limit the number of devotees to not more than 80,000 daily would have far-reaching social consequence. He asked the government to restore spot booking and lift the limit on the number of devotees visiting Sabarimala.

Published - October 14, 2024 11:31 am IST