Thiruvananthapuram: While his party believes that the tradition banning entry of women of menstrual age in historic Sabarimala temple should continue, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said that he was against such kind of practice.
Speaking to NDTV, Tharoor said, though Congress has maintained that the tradition should be followed, but personally he was against such practice, as he believed that customs and traditions evolve.
The Kerala government had told the Supreme Court that banning entry of women of menstrual age in historic Sabarimala temple in the state is a "matter of religion" and it is duty bound to "protect the right to practice the religion of these devotees".
Hearing a PIL filed by Indian Young Lawyers' Association, on January 11, the Supreme Court had questioned the tradition of banning entry of women of menstrual age group in the temple, saying it cannot be done under the Constitution.
Union Minister Mahesh Sharma has favoured the entry of women in Sabarimala temple, saying there should be no discrimination on the basis of caste and gender.
"The government is of the opinion that there should be no discrimination in all religious places on (the basis of) caste and gender," the Minister of State for Culture and Tourism said.
