OPS demands TN govt to urge Kerala govt to form welfare board for Ayyappa devotees

CHENNAI: Expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam on Sunday demanded the Tamil Nadu government to urge the Kerala government to constitute an exclusive welfare board for the Ayyappa devotees to take care of their needs and welfare during their pilgrimage to the hilly shrine.

The former Chief Minister made this appeal amidst the growing concern over the crowd management in the Sabarimala temple following heavy influx of devotees from different parts of the country.

The issue snowballed into a national level issue as the devotees congregated in large numbers, throwing normalcy out of gear in the hilly shrine, despite the best effort of the Kerala police department in coordination with the Devasthanam authorities in making arrangements for the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season that commenced in mid of November 16.

Pointing to multiple media reports regarding the plights of the devotees, Panneerselvam said that though devotees from various states were going on pilgrimage to Sabarimala, the devotees from Tamil Nadu account for a large number.

And they have witnessed several hardships, starting from standing in queue for 16 houses and non-availability of drinking water and food and dearth of rest rooms.

There were incidents where devotees were subjected to physical assault at the hands of the police personnel on duty in the Sabarimala.

The situation gone to the extent that the National Disaster Response Force had to step in to rescue a child from crowd at the temple, he said and wondered that it was surprising to see Chief Minister M K Stalin, who raise his voice when Tamils subjected to attack in Northern states, remain silent in similar incidents in neighbouring state.

He further said that TN government should play a proactive role and urge the Kerala government to form a welfare board to ensure the safety of devotees while they go on pilgrimage to Ayyappa temple.