The Central government should take over the Sabarimala temple as the Kerala government failed to provide basic amenities for the devotees visiting the place, demanded former Minister and BJP leader K.S. Eshwarappa.
In a press conference in Shivamogga on Friday, Mr. Eshwarappa said the devotees visiting the temple from distant places had been facing difficulties getting drinking water and food. Many had been stuck in the traffic for several hours. A girl died. “Kerala government has not made any arrangements for the devotees. An anti-Hindu government is in power in Kerala. I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take over the temple, deploy central forces to manage the crowd, and provide facilities for the devotees,” he said.
Mr. Eshwarappa said he too had visited the place twice. However, this time the devotees had been facing a lot of difficulties. “I keep visiting many pilgrimage centres. Nowhere did I encounter these problems. In Tirupati, Dharmasthala, Mantralaya and other places, arrangements are good. The devotees are offered food. But in Sabarimala, the local government has not been able to provide food and water for the devotees, even after earning revenue from the devotees,” he said.
Further, reacting to a question on the security breach in parliament, Mr. Eshwarappa said it was a shocking incident. “The Central government should take appropriate action to stop such incidents,” he said.
Regarding BJP MP Pratap Simha issuing passes to those who entered parliament, Mr. Eshwarappa said there was no reason to doubt the intentions of Pratap Simha. “As an MLA, I too have issued passes to many. I know Simha personally. He is a Hindu nationalist. Nobody can call him anti-national,” he said.
