PTI, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thousands of Lord Ayyappa devotees Saturday took to the streets in Kochi against the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups into Sabarimala temple, even as activist Trupti Desai announced plans to visit the hill shrine soon.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, which decided to implement the ruling, held a meeting here to evaluate the preparations carried out for pilgrims arriving at the temple which will open for monthly poojas on October 17 evening.
Though the government has not reacted to Desai’s planned trip to teh temple yet, it has evoked sharp reactions from Ayyappa devotees and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is campaigning against the entry of women into the hill shrine.
Padalam royal family member, Sasikumar Varma criticised Desai and urged the social activist to refrain from making any “provocative’ move.
