BJP admits its protest over Sabarimala issue was 'not entirely successful'

BJP is at the forefront of the nearly two-month-long agitation against the Kerala government's decision to implement the SC order allowing entry of women of all age groups inside Sabarimala Temple.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The BJP on Saturday admitted that its protest over the Sabarimala issue was 'not entirely successful' and the party has failed in its attempt to protect the faith of devotees.

It is to be noted that the BJP is at the forefront of the nearly two-month-long agitation against the Kerala government's decision to implement the Supreme Court order allowing entry of women of all age groups inside Sabarimala Temple, which is home to the shrine of Lord Ayyappa.

Addressing a meeting at the venue of the protest, state BJP president P S Sreedharan Pillai announced that the indefinite fast called by the party over this issue would end on Sunday.

"There were notable achievements during certain phases of the agitation, but, our fight to protect the faith was not entirely successful," he said.

"Even though we were unable to achieve 100 per cent success, we were able to garner more public support due to the blessings of Lord Ayyappa," Pillai said at the protest venue in front of the Secretariat here.

BJP's protest started losing intensity after the party failed to convince known leaders to take part in the indefinite relay fast, which was started by party general secretary A N Radhakrishnan followed by C K Padmanabhan and Shobha Surendran, among others.

In a related development, senior leaders of the BJP-led by National Democratic Alliance (NDA) met Kerala Governor P Sathasivam and submitted a memorandum seeking withdrawal of 'fabricated' cases registered against 'devotees' on the Sabarimala issue.

"Around 5,000 fabricated cases have been registered against the devotees who protested. Almost 1,000 activists are still in jail. They must be released," Pillai said.

(with agency inputs)