Taking on the Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala for its “disappointing” handling of the “sensitive issue” of Sabarimala pilgrimage, BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday stated that if reports of the treatment being meted out to the pilgrims are true, “then Pinarayi Vijayan must realize that he can’t treat Ayyappa devotees like inmates of Gulag”.
Denying the charges within hours, Vijayan maintained that the BJP president’s tweets on Sabarimala was “unfounded and misleading”. He also stated, “Arrangements must have caused inconvenience to the Sangh Parivar elements, who are bent on fomenting trouble with ulterior motives.”