Sabarimala is just the name of a place, Suresh Gopi tells collector

30. Sabarimala is just the name of a place, Suresh Gopi tells collector
T V Anupama, Suresh Gopi and Teeka Ram Meena.

Thrissur: NDA candidate for Thrissur Lok Sabha seat Suresh Gopi has claimed that he had not violated the model code of conduct for elections. In an explanation filed in reply to a notice served by District Collector T V Anupama, Suresh Gopi said that he had not used terms such as ‘Ayyappan’ or ‘Sabarimala Temple’ in his speech.

“Neither God was invoked nor any religious symbol used for the campaigning. Sabarimala, in fact, is the name of a place,” said the NDA candidate, who was directed to file his explanation before 8 pm on Monday.

Suresh Gopi also sought more time to submit a detailed explanation for which he made a plea for a copy of the CD of his speech. The Collector later forwarded Suresh Gopi’s reply to the Chief Electoral Officer, who will now decide on the further course of action.

Collector Anupama, who is also the district electoral officer, had demanded the explanation from Suresh Gopi after he delivered a controversial speech while taking part in the NDA convention in Thrissur.

Chief Election Ofcer (CEO) Teeka Ram Meena on Sunday said the actor-turned-politician had prima facie violated the code of conduct while campaigning in the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency.

The CEO said Thrissur district collector Anupama's action against Suresh Gopi was appropriate. Stating that Suresh Gopi should reply to the collector's notice, Meena said it was anti-democratic to seek votes in the name of god.

Anupama sought an explanation from Suresh Gopi, a BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP, after he mentioned Lord Ayyappa and Sabarimala temple during a convention of the NDA in Thrissur. Anupama, who is also the district election ofcer, assessed that the speech was in violation of the model code of conduct in place as part of the April 23 Lok Sabha polls in Kerala.

The CEO had particularly ordered that the Sabarimala temple issue should not be used for seeking votes. The collector has attached the transcript of the speech with the notice.

Right-wing outts had staged a series of protests in Kerala after the Supreme Court, in a landmark verdict last year, allowed women of child-bearing age to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala. The BJP views the verdict as an attempt to violate the traditions of the temple and Hindu beliefs, while the CPM hailed it as a historic step towards ensuring gender equality.

The BJP hopes to make gains in the Lok Sabha polls by consolidating the Hindu votes with its campaign against the CPM, which, according to the saffron camp, has been trying to undermine the Hindu traditions.

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