By Sanu George, IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala Devaswom Minister G. Sudhakaran, credited with initiating a debate over granting entry to non-Hindus in Kerala temples, says he is sure a law would soon be enforced that would drastically change traditional temple entry rules.
"The ball has been set rolling and now no one can stop changes from taking place. Our government is of the firm view that things have to change and they will," Sudhakaran, a minister in the state's Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, told IANS in an interview.
The outspoken minister had first raised the issue over temple entry curbs when he wrote to the board of the famed Sree Krishna temple in Guruvayoor that eminent singer K.J. Yesudas, a Christian, be allowed to sing Hindu devotional songs in the temple.
The issue was rekindled when Guruvayoor priests last month performed a so-called purification ritual after a visit by Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and his family to the temple for the naming ceremony of Ravi's grandchild.
Ravi's wife Mercy Ravi, a former Congress legislator of the Kerala assembly, is a Christian by birth.
Though the temple board apologised to Ravi's family, the row over granting entry to non-Hindus into temples in the state gathered momentum.
"Discussions have begun at all levels to allow entry into temples to all believers, irrespective of their religion, an idea I had put forward earlier. The social waters in Kerala have begun to move," the minister remarked.
"The stand of the people is now clear. All sections of Hindus have started voicing their opinions. This exercise will only help the real believers," he said.
The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), had Monday staged what they termed the "Second Guruvayoor Satyagraha" calling for a revival of renaissance values.
The first Guruvayoor Satyagraha was held 75 years ago and sought entry for Dalits, who were then derisively called "untouchables". It was only in 1936 that the Dalits were granted entry into the temples in Kerala.
However, Sudhakaran and the LDF government's arguments have been criticised, especially by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), questioning the authority of communists and atheists over temple matters.
Minister Sudhakaran also accused a small section of priests of not being open to social change.
"They (temple priests) are more interested in making hay while the sun shines. They make a lot of money without knowing the basics tenants of how a temple priest should function. It is against this small minority that I am against," said Sudhakaran.
He said he had been flooded with calls and letters ever since he attacked the "conservative priests".
But he stressed that any new changes would not encroach upon the rights and duties of priests.
"They will continue to do look after all religious aspects of the temple and we will take care of the social aspects. It is high time this small minority of temple priests rose from their deep slumber," Sudhakaran said.