Reports have appeared in the media that the newly-sworn in LDF government  has supported the stand of the earlier UDF government before the Supreme Court which was against the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple. If this is true, it is truly unfortunate. What is the Party’s position on this issue?

Gauri K, Chennai.

There has been no change in the CPI(M)position on this issue.  The earlier LDF government had filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court in 2007 supporting the right of women to enter the Sabarimala shrine saying that it was not ‘fair to deny a section of women from entering Sabarimala temple.’  The LDF government had refused to accept the plea that the entry of women would in any way interfere with the rituals conducted in the temple or its purity.  Unfortunately, the UDF government that came to power after this, filed an affidavit that was not only completely contradictory but also quite regressive in its approach.  Not only did it justify the ban but it quoted from various scriptures including the  Manusmriti  to say that nothing could be allowed to interfere with age-old traditions of worship in the temple which were guaranteed by the constitution itself and could, therefore, not be altered in the name of gender equality under Article 14.  The earlier LDF affidavit was, therefore, withdrawn and replaced.

Soon after the new LDF government assumed power, the matter came up before the Supreme Court again.  Unfortunately, there was a communication gap.  As a result, when the state counsel was asked about his government's stand on the issue, he asked for more time and an impression was created that the LDF government was changing its stand on the issue.  This has, naturally, created much anguish among all those who have appreciated the stand of the CPI(M) on gender issues. 

However, within 24 hours, the Kerala state secretary of the CPI(M), Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told the media that the Party supports the right of women to enter Sabarimala temple. He said that the government of Kerala would file a fresh affidavit before the Supreme Court in which this stand would be reflected. The minister for Dewaswom, Kadakampally Surendran, has also reiterated this assurance.

The CPI(M) has always taken an uncompromising stand on the rights of people belonging to different castes and genders to enter places of worship.  In the pre-independence movement, Communist stalwarts like A K Gopalan were in the forefront of the struggle to ensure the right of temple-entry to dalit and lower castes.  Today, our Party in Tamil Nadu is playing a leading role in the struggles organised by the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front against this particular kind of discrimination that dalits face even today.

The CPI(M) does not accept the argument made by some that because women after puberty and before menopause are ‘impure’ for certain days of the month, they should not be allowed to enter temples, participate in pujas and religious rituals and auspicious occasions.  This is an argument used by some Muslim clerics also.  This allegation of periodic impurity has caused great suffering and deprivation to women in our country for centuries.  It is based on nothing but superstition and prejudice and cannot be accepted today to deny women their rights in any sphere – religious, domestic or public.