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Two days after the Kerala government hosted the Global Ayyappa Sangamam, Sangh Parivar-affiliated organisations, including the Hindu Aikya Vedi and other community groups, are holding a parallel gathering of Ayyappa devotees in Pathanamthitta.
The event, called the Sabarimala Samrakshana Sangamam, is being organised on Monday, September 22, in Pandalam and will be inaugurated by K Annamalai, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tamil Nadu president. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya is also scheduled to address the gathering. The organises say that this is ‘True Devotees Sangamam’.
Organisers say the programme is a protest against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s Ayyappa Sangamam. The one-day event will feature two sessions: a morning discussion on faith, development, and security, followed by a large devotees’ gathering in the afternoon.
The Kerala government’s Ayyappa Sangamam, held on September 20 at Pampa as part of the Travancore Devaswom Board’s platinum jubilee, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. According to Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan, more than 4,000 devotees, including international delegates, attended the event. Both the Congress and BJP, however, boycotted the summit.
The BJP dismissed the government’s Sangamam as an LDF “political showpiece” ahead of the Assembly elections. Despite this, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was invited, sent his greetings to the gathering. His message, expressing best wishes for the summit’s success, was read out by Minister Vasavan during the programme.
