Thiruvananthapuram : It was Centre’s decision to reopen temples and other places of worship, and if V Muraleedharan, as Deputy Minister For External Affair, is clueless on the matter, I can only but sympathise with him, said Minister for Devaswom, Kadakampally Surendran. The minister was responding to a media query seeking comment on V Muraleedharan’s hotchpotch statement on reopening religious venues.
If Muraleedharan missed participating in the central cabinet meeting, he should consult others on the issue. The Centre came about with its decision allowing places of worship to open up to the public. And, Kerala did not jump at prospect. Instead the state government discussed the matter with religious heads, including those from Hindu organisations, to arrive at a consensus to ensure there would be no safety risks, Kadakampally explained.
On 30 May, the Centre issued list of operations, including activities at worship sites and religious establishments, that could resume as part of loosening up lockdown restrictions. On June 4, discussions were held with various religious heads, Devaswom Board leaders and prominent Tantric personalities in this regard. NSS and SNDP leaders too were invited to the talks. The guidelines on reopening religious venues were received from the Centre earlier that day. The state govt subsequently lend its nod for opening worship sites, following consensus arrived during the talks.
The Opposition expects to create divides like they did over the Sabarimala issue, said the minister. Muraleedharan’s post criticising the state government for having temples reopened, is a step in this direction, the minister added.
Neither devotees nor temple committees demanded opening of temples and a government, that does not believe in God, is doing it to ridicule devotees, said Muraleedharan had said in his Facebook post.
