Election Stunt

#Election #Stunt.

The Pinarayi-led Kerala government, after spending years bruising the faith and sentiments of Ayyappa devotees, has suddenly discovered the magic potion of an “Ayyappa Summit.” Like a conjurer who first sets fire to the tent and then invites the audience to a fire-safety seminar, the government is now attempting to rebrand itself as the guardian of temple traditions.

 Unfortunately, the devotees have not forgotten the lathi charges, arrests, and countless cases slapped during the Sabarimala protests. The cases that still sit in files, untouched. The summit, instead of being seen as a gesture of reconciliation, resembles a desperate election-season stunt, a festival of hollow words wrapped in political garlands.

What was intended as a grand olive branch has quickly become a prickly cactus. The so-called Ayyappa Summit is less of a religious dialogue and more of a tragicomedy staged for TV cameras. It is as if the government, having shattered the pot of rituals, now tries to mend it with chewing gum, expecting the devotees to drink from it once again. 

In reality, the move has backfired, leaving the ruling front in the same position as a cat that has foolishly thrust its head into a narrow pot and unable to see forward, unable to pull back, and inviting nothing but laughter from onlookers.

-K A Solaman