THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In light of the Kerala government’s failure in managing the crowd at the Sabarimala Temple, Kerala state Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan faces significant criticism. In response, Radhakrishnan stated that the Sabarimala issue is not an unusual one but rather a regular occurrence. His response appeared highly sarcastic, downplaying the severity of the situation despite facing considerable criticism.
The minister explained that the failure in crowd management at Sabarimala occurred because approximately one lakh pilgrims had arrived together.
Furthermore, minister Radhakrishnan suggested that the issue might stem from alterations in the queue system at Sabarimala. He emphasized the necessity for devotees to cooperate in managing the crowds.
Additionally, Radhakrishnan highlighted that certain media outlets were spreading false information about the incident. He noted that the isolated incident was being politically exploited.
Previously, leaders from the BJP and Congress in Kerala criticized the Kerala government for mismanaging the crowd at the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple. BJP State President K. Surendran accused the government of mistreating Sabarimala devotees by failing to provide basic facilities. Pilgrims reportedly had to wait in long queues for over 20 hours for darshan.
Another BJP leader, KP Krishna Das, accused the Kerala government of deliberately creating difficulties for devotees to discourage visits to the temple. He argued that while the state government failed in arranging basic amenities, several volunteer organizations operating at Sabarimala was also regulated with some intentions. The government’s approach intensified hardships for devotees.
Krishna Das also accused the Devaswom minister of being more focused on conducting the extravagant ‘Nava Kerala Sadas’ campaign program rather than addressing issues of public.
The government faced severe criticism for its failure in crowd management and mistreating devotees after a 12-year-old girl devotee fainted and lost her life due to lack of facilities, sparking controversies.
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