Kerala is bracing to witness one of the largest mobilisations of women volunteers standing shoulder-to-shoulder to form an unbroken chain linking the north Kerala with its south as part of the ‘Women’s Wall’ sponsored by the State government.

For Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, it is a show of political strength that will recall the State’s own tryst with Renaissance and women’s empowerment against the current challenges thrown up by the Sabarimala issue.

Sparing no effort

The government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure maximum participation by women (4-5 million), the desperate bids for which have triggered allegations of use of threat and coercion. The women at 3.45 pm on Tuesday, will form the 620 km-long chain (‘wall’), linking Kasaragode in the north with Thiruvananthapuram in the South, and hold the vigil for the next 15 minutes.

The event has aroused international interest and, according to sources, a team of the Universal Record Forum has reached the State to observe it on behalf of the Guinness Book of World Records.

‘Ayyappa Jyothi’

A few days ago, the Sangh Parivar organisations, which are demanding a status quo at Sabarimala, had launched ‘Ayyappa Jyothi’ vigil along the national highways in the State.

For Chief Minister Vijayan, the event is an answer to what he describes as the communal designs of Hindu conservatives led by the BJP and the main Opposition, the Congress party.

“The Women’s Wall is a ‘movement for equality, gender sensitivity and social awakening,” he told newspersons on New Year eve. His government will seek to protect gender equality and acknowledge the contributions made by women revolutionaries.

He admitted that it is the protests by ‘communal forces’ against the entry of women of all age groups into Sabarimala, that prompted the government and the ruling Left Democratic Front to organise the Women’s Wall event. Vijayan exuded confidence that event will be a success and mark a turning point in the State’s political history.

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