Thiruvananthapuram: BJP national president Amit Shah has exhorted the party cadre in Kerala to cash in on the Sabarimala controversy by supporting the agitation against women's entry into the hill shrine. He told the state leaders to keep the issue burning ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year.
The message is loud and clear: The BJP state unit has been asked not to remain on the sidelines any longer and organise mass movements in all constituencies. The BJP found itself on the back foot when Hindu religious organisations took to the streets against the implementation of a Supreme Court order striking down the prohibition on young women to enter the Lord Ayyappa temple.
Attending a meeting of BJP workers in the party state headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, which was attended by delegates from across the country, Shah said that the order was making ripples across south India. He called upon the delegates to work to raise the party's chances in the polls.
Shah also told party workers to strengthen ties with media and to increase their presence on social media ahead of the polls. The party will dedicated teams in each state to propagate the welfare activities of the central government. War rooms are planned in every state to influence social media.
The meeting also focused on the developments in the poll-bound states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
On September 28, in a 4:1 judgment, the apex court said the ban on women in the menstruating age group, whose presence in the Lord Ayyappa temple was considered to be 'impure', violated their fundamental rights and constitutional guarantee of equality.
Until now, only girls below 10 years and women over 50 years were allowed to visit the hilltop shrine.
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