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Won’t interfere in Sabarimala customs and traditions: Chandy

Amid a searing debate on the issue of entry of women aged 10-50 years in the Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Sunday said his government would not interfere in the customs and traditions of the hill shrine.

“The government does not interfere beyond a point on matters with regard to (religious) customs and faith,” Chandy said when asked about his government’s stand on the issue. 

Chandy, who is in the midst of the Assembly election campaign, said his government had already made its stand clear on the issue of entry of women in Sabarimala. Women aged 10-50 years are banned in the shrine.

“There are persons who have the right to deal with matters related to faith and customs...Let them take decisions on such issues,” Chandy said.

When it was pointed out that some Hindu organisations and even the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have backed women’s entry to temples, the Chief Minister said: “We don’t want to get into that controversy.”

Last week, two religious bodies had moved the Supreme Court, supporting a PIL seeking the entry of women to the Sabarimala Temple, saying that no ritual or custom can be used as grounds to discriminate against women in the matter of worship.
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