On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the BJP’s election manifesto for 2019 Lok Sabha polls at the party’s Delhi headquarters. The 45-page election manifesto with a theme “Sankalpit Bharat, Sashakt Bharat” has 15 broad points that the PM Modi led BJP aims to fulfil.
Under the “Cultural Heritage” promises, BJP has indicated its agenda with respect to fulfilling its objectives regarding the issue of Sabarimala shrine.
Reiterating its stand on Sabarimala issue, the BJP in its ‘Sankalp Patra’ promises to undertake every effort to ensure that the subject of faith, tradition and worship rituals related to Sabarimala are presented in a comprehensive manner before the Supreme Court.
“We will endeavour to secure constitutional protection on issues related to faith and belief,” said the BJP manifesto.
The BJP Sankalp Patra further added that the philosophy of the party is anchored in the civilisational ethos of India. “As we build ‘New India’, we intend to actively invest in strengthening our cultural roots and preserving civilisational continuity,” asserts BJP through its manifesto ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
A massive controversy had erupted last year when the Supreme Court had delivered a contentious judgement allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala shrine violating the culture and traditions of the Hindus. In the garb of implementing controversial Supreme Court judgement, the Communist Kerala government, headed by controversial CM Pinarayi Vijayan with the help of state police force had turned the area near Sabarimala into a war zone.
The Communist Kerala government faced massive protests after it deliberately allowed politically motivated ‘activists’ to enter the shrine and violate age-old customs while arresting Hindu devotees to keep them away from entering the Sabarimala shrine. In a deliberate attempt to violate the Hindu traditions and humiliate Hindus, Pinarayi Vijayan government had allowed communist colleagues to enter the Sabarimala shrine with the aid of the state police.
The Kerala government had finally won its war over Hindu devotees after it had successfully aided women to enter the Sabarimala shrine violating the age-old Hindu customs of not allowing women to enter inside the shrine. The desperate act of Kerala government to defame Hindus was met with massive anger and protest across the country. Lakhs of devotees, especially women, lit lamps and stood on roads and highways in a peaceful protest, covering a distance of 795 km on 26 December to show their solidarity with Hindu devotees who are fighting for the preservation of age-old Hindu customs.
In a huge embarrassment to Pinarayi Vijayan led Kerala government, the Kerala High Court while hearing a petition seeking to restrict entry of non-Hindus in Sabarimala temple had expressed its displeasure over the police excesses at the Sabarimala temple.
The Kerala High Court had also lashed out at the Communist Kerala government for its high-handedness and brutality in dealing with Hindu devotees present at the Sabarimala shrine. The Kerala High Court observations come hours after the Kerala police forcefully evicted several Hindu devotees from the Sabarimala temple.
