Thiruvananthapuram : The Communist Party of India (Marxist) that heads the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala has decided to take its outreach programme to the pilgrims visiting the Sabarimala Hindu shrine in Pathanamthitta district.
The Kannur district unit of the CPI (M) is planning to provide facilities for rest and refreshment to the pilgrims passing through the district.
The programme will be implemented through the Initiative for Rehabilitation and Palliative Care (IRPC), which was set up by the party in 2012 to reach out to people through social service. The initiative headed by youth wing leader Shaji PM has 3,500 trained volunteers, who visit those requiring palliative care in their homes and provide care. The party is planning to double the number of trainer volunteers in Kannur district and extend the programme to other districts.
The IRPC is planning to set up a number of shelters for the Sabarimala pilgrims in various parts of the district. They will mostly cater to the pilgrims who go on foot to the hill shrine via Kannur. The centres will provide sleeping space, toilets and bathroom facilities besides tea and refreshments. IRPC chairman Shaji said that the facilities will be provided free to the pilgrims. He said that the arrangements for providing the facilities will be finalised at a meeting of the organizing committee next week. The initiative is seen as a counter to the attempts being made by the Sangh Parivar to reach out to the Sabarimala pilgrims with various services. The hill shrine is thronged by millions of pilgrims from all over the country during the season from November 14 to January 14 every year. The CPI (M) entry in the field is part of the attempts being made by the party to reach out to the believers, who have been showing a tendency to join the BJP following its move to saffronise the Hindus in the state.
The Sree Krishna Jayanthi and Ganesholsava celebrations the party organized recently were also part of this move. The party, which adheres to atheism, has been trying to counter the march of the Sangh Parivar in the state by physically confronting them. The physical confrontation between the CPI (M) and the RSS has claimed more than 200 lives in Kannur district in the last three decades. The party seems to have realized that it will not work any more.
