Thiruvananthapuram, March 13 (IANS) With polls approaching, Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan government has softened its earlier rigid stand on the Sabarimala women’s entry issue.

The state government is preparing to submit a new affidavit on Saturday in the Supreme Court, stating that temple customs must be protected and that it is ready to reconsider its earlier position on allowing women of all ages to enter the shrine.

Political circles say that this unexpected “U-turn” by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is driven by fears of electoral backlash and the strong anger among devotees ahead of the upcoming elections.

With the Travancore Devasom Board last month making its position clear that temple traditions should be preserved, it was certain that the state government would do the same.

The file for the issue is before Vijayan, and the cabinet is slated to meet when the official nod comes, and the revised decision will be placed before the apex court on Saturday.

Vijayan, who once insisted on allowing women into Sabarimala under the banner of social reform, is now seen as bowing before the sentiments of devotees.

Until now, the government had maintained in court that it stood firmly by the 2007 affidavit, which supported allowing women of all age groups to enter the temple.

However, in the changed circumstances, the CPI-M, which leads the LDF, had intimated to the allies over the phone about the change in stand.

Critics point out that the same government that once used the police against protesting devotees and pilgrims carrying the irumudikettu is now attempting this reversal with an eye on the same devotees’ votes.

As accusations that the government had betrayed the faithful gained momentum, pressure reportedly mounted within the party itself for a correction in the stand.

The government’s move to now support the continuation of temple customs in the case pending before the larger bench of the Supreme Court is being described in some quarters as a historic course correction.

Meanwhile, the opposition is preparing to launch a major campaign against what it calls the government’s double standards.

Political rivals are mocking the Chief Minister, saying that it is fear of electoral defeat that has pushed him toward a more “devotional” stance.

Critics also say Kerala is now witnessing the irony of those who once built the so-called “Renaissance Wall” now dismantling it themselves.

–IANS

sg/vd