Last-minute talks, ‘long march’, protests ahead of Sabrimala temple opening

In a last-ditch effort to avert a showdown with devotees, the Travancore Dewasom Board (TDB) has called another meeting on Tuesday with Sabarimala tantri (supreme priest), Pandalam’s erstwhile royal family and Ayyappa Sewa Sangh. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is spearheading the campaign against the Supreme Court order, has rejected the talks offer. However, the tantri and erstwhile Pandalam royals said they will announce their decision later. “We are confident the issue will be sorted out amicably. We will hear all stakeholders patiently. We don’t want to make it a political issue. At the same time we will convince them about our limitations,” said A Padmakumar, TDB president.