THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All-party meet called by the government to discuss the Sabarimala issue has commenced at Thiruvananthapuram. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran and several BJP-RSS leaders are participating in the all-party meet.

Interestingly, the call for the meeting by the Kerala Chief Minister comes days after he had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders from the state of conniving to create trouble in Sabarimala.

On November 9, Vijayan asserted that evidence has surfaced pointing that the BJP leaders in the state connived to create trouble in Sabarimala. "The odious politics and perfidious ways of BJP stand exposed. Evidence has surfaced that BJP leaders in the state connived to create trouble in Sabarimala," he had said.

Last Monday, the Kerala government had also submitted an affidavit in the High Court on Sabarimala Temple issue stating that it never interfered in religious matters and rituals in connection with the same.

The state government had also stated that some political parties with their own agenda staged protest condemning the judgment of the Supreme Court, obstructed women devotees going to the Sabarimala temple.

The Sabarimala Temple and surrounding areas witnessed a string of protests recently over the Supreme Court's decision to quash restrictions on the entry of females of menstruating age, between 10 and 50 years, into the shrine.

As many as 3,505 protesters have been arrested and around 529 cases were registered so far in connection with a series of incidents of violence in the state after the opening of the temple gate in October this year.