Kollam: N K Premachandran MP on Monday reaffirmed his controversial remarks on the 2018 Sabarimala women’s entry issue, alleging that the LDF government and the police facilitated the visit of Rehana Fathima and Bindu Ammini to the shrine.

He also claimed that the two women were taken to Sabarimala after being given porotta and beef. In his speech, Premachandran said the Supreme Court verdict allowing women’s entry was delivered in September 2018, and even before the Kerala government officially received a copy of the order, a meeting with police officers, including DGPs, was convened within 10 hours to ensure access for women.

He further alleged that he heard several police officers say the women were given porotta and beef at the Pala guest house before being taken to Sabarimala by car. He also criticised the same government and Home Department for now organising the Global Ayyappa Sangamam in Pamba.

Premachandran said he is facing “unprecedented cyberattacks” from what he called the CPM’s cyber wing. He added that similar remarks were earlier made by Opposition Leader V D Satheesan and RSP state secretary Shibu Baby John, but they did not face such backlash.

In response to his statements, Bindu Ammini reacted through a Facebook post, noting that she prefers cassava with beef. “I like beef. But I don’t want porotta with it. Kappa is fine. Kappa and beef are super,” she wrote. General Education Minister V Sivankutty also made a Facebook post, seemingly in response to the allegations. In his post, he referred to Premachandran as “Vishachandran.”

The MP made the remarks during the concluding session of the UDF’s ‘Faith Protection March’ in Pandalam, held in protest against the Sabarimala gold scam.

According to reports, before dawn on 2 January 2019, Kanaka Durga and Bindu Ammini climbed Sabarimala escorted by six male Kerala Police personnel. At around 3.48 am, the two women, dressed in the traditional black attire worn by pilgrims, had darshan. In 2018, Rehana Fathima had attempted to enter the Lord Ayyappa shrine but was forced to retreat following protests by devotees and Hindu activists.