The Congress and the BJP Monday slammed the LDF government in Kerala over the mismanagement of crowd and lack of facilities at Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple.

It has been reported that facilities at Ayyappa shrine are inadequate at all places including queue complexes and pilgrims have to wait for 15 to 20 hours for darshan.

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Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan alleged the facilities for devotees were inadequate. He claimed that devotees were not even being provided with water.

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s allergy to Sabarimala still exists. He said that the government is showing criminal negligence in the matter of providing facilities to Sabarimala devotees.

The Devaswom Board is trying to avoid responsibility by blaming the police and the police are blaming the Devaswom Board, Chennithala said. The Chief Minister and ministers should pay immediate attention to the issue, he said.

BJP state president K Surendran said that Sabarimala pilgrimage is being sabotaged by the LDF government and the devotees are going through mental and physical pain.

BJP national executive member PK Krishnadas alleged that the LDF government is trying to sabotage Sabarimala pilgrimage.

“The LDF government, which tried to make Sabarimala pilgrimage irrelevant by violating rituals earlier, is trying to sabotage the pilgrimage by showing severe cruelty to the pilgrims this time,” Krishnadas said.

It has, meanwhile, been reported that the Kerala High Court is considering to appoint a legal team to study the complaints of pilgrims about crowding at Sabarimala.

The High Court will appoint a 12-member legal team to study the grievances of devotees and assess the facilities for the pilgrims at the Sabarimala shrine.