By Express News Service

KOZHIKODE: BJP has admitted that the ongoing Sabrimala agitation was planned and orchestrated by the party as part of its 'agenda'. During a speech at a Yuva Morcha meeting, the audio of which has now surfaced, BJP president Sreedharan Pillai said the 'tantri' (chief priest) had discussed with him the option of closing down the sanctum sanctorum to prevent women of reproductive age from entering the shrine.

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"We put forward an agenda and all others surrendered before it. The protests from October 17 to 22 were planned and executed by the BJP. We debuted our two state general secretaries to camp at specified places and they successfully completed their mission. When women tried to enter the shrine, it was a district general secretary of the Yuva Morcha who mobilised devotees and prevented the move," Sreedharan Pillai claimed.

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The BJP president said the chief priest Kantararu Rajeevaru called him when women were poised to enter the shrine. He asked whether closing down the sanctum sanctorum would amount to contempt of court. "I assured him (Rajeevaru) that we are with him and that contempt of court charge would not stand. If such a case should be registered, it would be against tens of thousands of our workers, I told him," Sreedharan Pilliai said adding that his assurance prompted the chief priest to take a bold stand.

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Pillai claimed that it was chief priest's stand which landed the police and the government in a fix. We expect him to adopt the same course of action. "When the contempt of court case was filed I was listed as prime accused and Rajeevaru was second accused. Since I stand with him as an accused, his confidence in us has increased," Pillai added.