File photo of Sitaram Yechury

NEW DELHI: CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday drew parallels between the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the Sabarimala shrine, alleging that similar looking “saffron-clad men” who had brought down the 16th century mosque in Ayodhya in 1992 were now unleashing terror in Kerala to consolidate the Hindutva vote and to gain politically and electorally.

Yechury said the LDF government in Kerala was doing everything in its power to implement the Supreme Court order linfting the ban on women’s entery into Sabarimala, but that the BJP-RSS combine was deliberately fuelling communal passions.

Yechury said, “The pattern is very similar. At the time of the Babri masjid demolition, volunteers wore saffron bands. Now, people clad in a similar dress are spread out in Sabarimala. It is an organised thing that the RSS is doing.”

The CPM chief also sought to corner the BJP leadership for its silence over “Hindu women” being denied their rights -- endorsed by the Supreme Court -- to enter into the embattled Sabarimala shrine. “BJP, in the name of equality for Muslim women, brought in the Triple Talaq law through an ordinance without even waiting for Parliament to discuss it properly. Now it is silent when the rights of Hindu women are in question,” Yechury said.

Fielding questions over its poor handling of the violent protests at Sabarimala, the LDF government maintained on Friday that it would not file a review petition against the SC order because it had already accepted the verdict. However, causing some embarrassment to the government, the Devaswom Board announced it would move the SC against its verdit.

Backing the state government’s position, Yechury said, “There are already six review petitions before the Supreme Court. Whatever the SC reviews is going to be the same. What is the point of state government moving another one. Wait for them. The bigger question is that the BJP should either implement, or stick to its position of giving equality to women like they claimed to have done in the case of Triple Talaq.”

The CPM leader, however, evaded questions the about the Devaswom minister’s statement that Sabarimala was not for activists. “Only the state government can answer these questions,” he said.

While focussing his attack on BJP, Yechury also questioned the intent of the local Congress unit in inciting passions. “What is being done is most unfortunate. Passions are being roused for political and electoral gains primarily by the RSS-BJP. Unfortunately, the Congress in the local unit has joined these protests. If the BJP is against the SC verdict, the only way to circumvent that verdict is through a legislative process in Parliament. Between the BJP and the Congress, they have two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. So, why are they not adopting that route,” he asked.

