An all-party meeting on the Sabarimala remained inconclusive and ended abruptly in Kerala. The state government stuck to its stand and said that it was duty-bound to implement the Supreme Court order allowing the entry of women of all ages into the Lord Ayyappa temple. This led to a walkout by opposition parties.

Earlier the opposition parties had demanded putting off the implementation of the apex court order till January 22, when review petitions against the verdict are slated to come up for hearing.

Rejecting that demand, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan pointed out that since the court had not stayed its September 28 verdict, there was no other option but to allow women in the age group of 10-50 years to enter during the upcoming pilgrim season.

No consensus emerged at the nearly three-hour long meeting. Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front and the BJP staged a walkout at the fag end of the crucial parleys, convened two days ahead of the temple’s opening on November 17 for the two-month long pilgrim season.

Frenzied protests by devotees and various outfit activists had prevented women in the 10-50 age group from entering the temple, when it had opened twice since last month after the apex court order.