Sivankutty calls Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s warning to Kerala, Tamil Nadu CMs on Sabarimala as ‘childish bluster’

Kerala’s General Education Minister V. Sivankutty has termed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s threat to prevent Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister, Udhayanidhi Stalin and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan from attending the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s ‘Global Ayyappa Sangamam’ at Pampa in Sabarimala on September 10 as “childish bluster unbecoming of a person in public life.”

Speaking to reporters in Palakkad on Monday (August 25, 2025), Mr. Sivankutty said Mr. Chandrasekhar “has no clue about Kerala.”

Mr. Sivankutty said Mr. Chandrasekhar appeared to “inhabit a fool’s paradise.” He said Mr. Chandrasekhar’s “juvenile bravado” to deter the dignitaries from setting foot at Sabarimala “would not pass muster in secular-democratic Kerala.”

“Perhaps, Mr. Chandrasekhar thinks his writ will run in Kerala because the BJP is in power in the Centre. Or else, the BJP leader hopes to unleash communal violence by stoking religious schism for electoral dividends ahead of the local body polls. Mr. Chandrasekhar’s ill-thought-out and devious political gambit will fail”, he said. 

Mr. Sivankutty said Mr. Stalin and Mr. Udayanidhi Stalin were honoured guests of the Kerala government. Devaswom Board Minister V.N. Vasavan had personally called on them and requested their presence in Sabarimala, he added.

On Sunday, Mr. Chandrasekhar stirred a controversy by stating on social media that BJP workers would not allow Mr. Stalin, Mr. Vijayan and Mr. Udayanidhi Stalin to enter Sabarimala “without apologising to Hindus”. 

He accused both the Chief Ministers of “insulting Hindu faith”. Mr. Chandrasekhar singled out Mr. Udayanidhi Stain for allegedly disparaging the Hindu religion.

He demanded that Mr. Vijayan publicly apologise for “attempting to smuggle women activists into Sabarimala and unleashing the police against Ayyappa devotees, who opposed the infringement on temple tradition”, using a Supreme Court order as political cover. 

Mr. Chandrasekhar also demanded that Mr. Vijayan “bow before the deity and seek forgiveness for his actions.”

He had also demanded that Mr. Vijayan withdraw the cases registered against “Ayyappa devotees” who took part in the Save Sabarimala agitation in 2018. 

He urged BJP workers in Kerala and Tamil Nadu to mobilise in large numbers to boycott the Chief Ministers unless his demands were met.