Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 28; Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday termed the upcoming Global Ayyappa Summit a political drama by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The Global Ayyappa Summit, scheduled for September 20, to be held on the banks of the sacred Pampa River near Sabarimala, is part of the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).

CM Vijayan will inaugurate the event, conceived as one of the largest spiritual congregations in South India.

On Thursday, the CM took potshots at the state BJP president and said he knew nothing about Kerala.

Chandrasekhar, however, retorted, saying, “I have never claimed to be a political scholar. I have climbed the sacred eighteen steps at Sabarimala 18 times. I have sufficient knowledge about Sabarimala. Unlike the Chief Minister, I have no desire to become a ‘scholar’ by reading Karl Marx."

The state BJP chief then questioned why Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was invited to the event and asked if the event was being organised merely to secure Hindu votes.

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“The very Stalin who once called Hinduism a virus, and a Chief Minister (Vijayan) who betrayed the devotees, should not be present there,” he said.

“If it is not a government function, why is the Chief Minister speaking? Shouldn’t it be the Devaswom Board Chairman addressing it? The CM is an atheist - who will believe him when he talks about worship? Can an atheist Chief Minister conduct such a programme? Would he invite someone who insulted the Muslim community to a Muslim religious function?” asked Chandrasekhar.

He further asserted that “intimidation politics” was not the BJP’s way, adding that he had no interest in becoming a “Das Kapital intellectual” like the Chief Minister.

Incidentally, with the BJP opposing the upcoming event, the Leader of Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, has already accused the ruling CPI(M) of organising the event to appease majority community sentiments.

Kerala Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan formally extended invitations to political leaders, including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, during a visit to Chennai.

Stalin later conveyed his inability to attend due to prior commitments, and has deputed his cabinet colleagues P.K. Sekarbabu and Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, who will represent the state government.

(IANS/NS)

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