Sabarimala temple

New Delhi: In a major U-turn, the Believers Church has decided not to allocate its land in Cheruvally estate to the state government for the construction of an airport in Pathanamthitta near Sabarimala.

It is being alleged that the main agenda to open the airport is to keep the temple nada (complex/cluster) open on a daily basis. Now, the issue is expected to be taken up in the Bishop Council meeting set to be held later this month.

Earlier, the Left government had proposed to construct an airport at Pathanamthitta for the benefit of devotees.

Believers Church further claimed that they are facing immense pressure from a section within their diocese against giving the land for airport construction to the Kerala government.

In 2016, Chief Minister Vijayan plans to make Sabarimala an international tourist destination and had suggested that it should be opened 365 days in a year.

Sabarimala issue exploded when the Supreme Court paved the way for the entry of women into the temple. However, the RSS and the BJP opposed the move saying there was a need to save the Sabarimala temple traditions.

The issue was raised even during the election campaign despite the Election Commission’s circular where it instructed political parties to seek votes in the name of the Sabarimala temple.

While the BJP was looking to open its account in the state by riding on Sabarimala wave it failed to win a single seat. The Left-front also suffered a humiliating defeat and the CPI(M) blamed Sabarimala row and Vijayan's leadership for the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections.

The CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front won only one seat out of 20 while the Congress-led UDF bagged the 15.

CPI(M) state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan also called Sabarimala a major issue and claimed that the minority vote shifted to the Congress-led UDF.