A file photo of a ceremony under way at the Sabarimala temple. | Photo Credit: LEJU KAMAL
As preparations gather pace for the annual Sabarimala pilgrimage, the United Democratic Front (UDF) government has reached out to organisations that have long been excluded from formal consultations on pilgrim welfare.
The Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangham (ABASS) and the Pandalam Palace have been invited to the Sabarimala review meeting to be convened by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan at Pampa on Saturday, sources said. They, along with other organisations representing devotees, had been kept out of such consultations in recent years.
Confirming receipt of the invitation, ABASS general secretary D. Vijayakumar described it as a significant shift in the government’s approach. “At least five voluntary organisations, including ABASS, which played a key role in assisting pilgrims to Sabarimala, have been kept out of consultations since 2023,” he alleged.
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