Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday, 2 January, criticised women who are entering the Sabarimala temple and said though he is all for women empowerment, it is a matter of sanctity of the temple.
In an interview with Mirror Now, Tharoor said, "Sabarimala advocates will tell you that any woman who believes in the legend of Lord Ayyappa in Sabarimala would not wish to worship there until she had turned 50, because to worship there before 50... if she is of reproductive age would something that would violate the very principles of the deity she was worshiping."
Therefore, he said, the only women of the reproductive age who would go to Sabarimala would be women who in fact do not believe in the Ayyappa legend.
The debate, as Tharoor said, could be framed from the point of view of equality and from the point of view of sanctity.
.jpg?rect=0%2C0%2C2000%2C1125&auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
“That’s the irony of the contradiction here.”Shashi Tharoor
However, the Congress MP clarified that he honours the judgment of the Supreme Court in that matter, “but it is fitting that Supreme Court is going to hear the objections in an open court on 22nd January.”
‘Entry of Two Women an Unnecessary Provocation’
According to Firstpost, Tharoor said that since the apex court is set to take up the matter in open court, the entry of the two women into Sabarimala was an "unnecessary provocative act".
On Thursday, according to CNN News18, the senior leader said, the Congress party is in favour of women's empowerment but reiterated that the matter is concerning faith.
Tharoor said that his party is criticising the state government on “the needlessly provocative actions at a time when the pilgrimage season was going on peacefully.”
He also criticised the BJP for inciting violence and vandalism. "We believe that reducing a sanctified place to a stage for political thatre is a shameful act by both parties," he added.
‘Unprovocative Women Never Made History’
Activist Kavita Krishnan hit out at Tharoor and tweeted, “Women violating patriarchal laws are always seen as 'provocative'. Unprovocative women never made history.”
(With inputs from Mirror Now, Firstpost and News18)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)