KOZHIKODE: Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has said the strong protest in Sabarimala that didn’t any woman to enter the temple showed what Kerala has in its mind. “If this situation continues, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will have to go to Mars.”

“Yesterday (Monday), the chief minister had made a controversial statement that at a time when women are going to Mars, certain people here are organising protests against women’s entry. 99 percentage of believers are against allowing entry for women of all ages in Sabarimala. The government is not able to sense that. It is not right to hurt the religious sentiments of people, which ever religion they belong to; that is the UDF stand,” he said.

Taking exception to the Supreme Court order, Ramesh Chennithala said he was not going to criticise the judges. “As per the Indian Constitution Article 26 B, the Supreme Court order can be bypassed only through constitutional amendment. It is the Centre which has to take the initiative for this and why BJP State president Sreedharan Pillai is not pressuring the Centre on this account?” he asked.

Chennithala added that Sabarimala pilgrimage comes under the concurrent list in the Constitution and hence both State and Centre can make laws to suit the needs.