A political parody set to the tune of an Ayyappa devotional song triggers controversy in Kerala

A political parody set to the tune of a popular Ayyappa devotional song has sparked controversy in Kerala.

The song weaves lyrics lampooning the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government over the Sabarimala gold theft scandal in the tune of a catchy devotional melody profoundly familiar to Ayyappa devotees. During the local body campaign trail, the United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition had deployed the song as an arguably surefire propaganda tool to cast the government under a harsh light.

The dispute erupted on Tuesday after the Pathanamthitta-based Thiruvabharana Patha Samrakshana Samiti, an organisation closely associated with the tradition of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, sought a criminal investigation into, what it termed, a wilful and conspiratorial trespass on faith.

State Police Chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar forwarded the complaint to Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order and Crime Branch, H. Venkatesh.

An official said, prima facie, the parody song seemed to walk a fine line between artistic freedom and the alleged attempt to outrage religious sentiments. The police have reportedly sought legal opinion on the matter and launched a preliminary investigation to verify whether the samiti’s complaint reveals a cognisable offence.

CPI(M) to move EC

Matters later took a sharp political turn when Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Pathanamthitta district secretary Raju Abraham endorsed the complaint. He accused the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) of using the song to polarise communities on religious lines at the polling booth. He said the CPI(M) would move the Election Commission of India (EC) against the UDF’s alleged bid to evoke faith to create tensions between people of different faiths for electoral dividends.

CPI(M) leader A.A. Rahim, MP, claimed that the Opposition added insult to injury by rendering the “offending” song outside Parliament. He said the LDF would highlight the UDF’s alleged trespass on the Ayyappa faith at the national level.

Congress repose

In a post on Facebook, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) vice-president V.T. Balram accused the CPI(M) of weaponising the artists’ identities to stoke communal resentment. He wrote that the CPI(M), resentful of the government’s humbling defeat in the local body polls, was treading a perilous path by injecting communal venom into a run-of-the-mill political parody piece.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan riposted that the CPI(M) outmatched the Sangh Parivar in driving divisive religious majoritarian sentiment by casting a harmless parody song as a slur on the Ayyappa faith. He said the CPI(M) had borrowed memorable devotional song tunes to lampoon political rivals in the past.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal, MP, said the CPI(M) lacked grace in defeat and was creating controversy for political face-saving.