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Sabarimala: BJP standing like a rock behind devotees, says Amit Shah

Issue of Sabarimala "misused" to arrest RSS, BJP workers, the BJP President claimed
Amit Shah gesturing at the Kannur rally on Saturday, October 27.
India Today
Amit Shah gesturing at the Kannur rally on Saturday, October 27.

NEW DELHI--The Left government in Kerala has "misused" the Sabarimala issue to arrest the workers and supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), BJP President Amit Shah said on Saturday at Kannur. According to the NDTV, Shah said this in reference to the recent arrests by Kerala police of over 2800 people in connection with the violence near the Sabarimala temple.

"I warn Kerala's communist chief minister, don't oppress devotees in the name of implementing the Supreme Court judgment," Shah said, according to the previously cited report, referring to the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s Politburo member and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The Rajya Sabha MP and BJP President further said, "BJP is standing like a rock with devotees, Left government be warned." Supporting a section of the devotees, Shah indirectly expressed support to the demand of not letting women between the age groups of 10 and 50 enter the temple. The Supreme Court had ordered the Sabrimala temple authorities to open their doors for all women.

Alluding to that, and the Kerala government's decision to publicly let women access the Sabaramali temple, Shah stated, as per this Indian Express report that, "In the name of court judgment, those who want to incite violence, let me tell you that there are many temples which run on different rules and norms."

As per a PTI report, BJP president Amit Shah arrived in Kannur on Saturday on a day visit to Kerala to attend a party function in the city and the 90th Mahasamadhi observance of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru at Varkala near Thiruvananthapuram.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.