Kerala BJP president PS Sreedharan Pillai has stirred up a controversy after he allegedly said that the Sabarimala issue was a golden opportunity for the BJP.

In an audio clip which has gone viral the BJP chief can be heard saying that the head priest of the Sabarimala temple had consulted him over closure of the temple doors of if women of the age group 10-50 tried to enter the shrine.

The video is from Sreedharan’s address to the Yuva Morcha state committee in Kozhikode. The BJP leader allegedly said that the head priest was afraid of shutting the doors of the temple as he feared contempt of the court but he came to a decision after consulting the BJP chief.

“The tantric community has more faith in BJP and its state chief. When women were about to enter Sabarimala, he called me up. I had given him a word and it coincidentally came true. He was a bit upset over shutting the doors of the sanctum sanctorum fearing it would invite the contempt of the court. I was among the few he had contacted at the time.”

"Sabarimala protests were BJP's agenda. Our party’s general secretaries have worked to make it a success. When IG Sreejith escorted two women to enter Sabarimala, Yuva Morcha activists had blocked them. Now, it remains to be seen if the state government too will fall in line," Sreedharan Pillai said at the meet.