Sabarimala (Ker) | Kerala Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan on Thursday alleged that a widespread negative campaign had been unleashed by a section of people over the heavy rush being witnessed at the Lord Ayyappa temple here during the ongoing annual pilgrimage season.

Accusing such forces of trying to malign the Sabarimala pilgrimage, he clarified that the state government has taken effective measures to address the issues.

"After being apprised of the difficulties, the government promptly engaged various agencies to intervene and find solutions as soon as possible," he said, detailing the steps taken by the government to address the issue.

At present, the heavy influx of pilgrims is under control at the hill temple and its premises, he told reporters here.

Similar heavy rush situations have been witnessed during the previous Mandalam-Makaravilakku season also, and nothing more had happened this time, he explained.

"But deliberate attempts were made to create anxiety among pilgrims this time. Some slogans raised by certain people during an agitation over the issue at Erumeli near here were an example of this," he added.

Many devotees had protested and raised slogans there, alleging lack of facilities for Sabarimala pilgrims.

Basic amenities, including toilet facilities and drinking water, were available at Erumeli, but protesters were alleging a lack of these amenities, the minister said.

He alleged that this was part of deliberate efforts made by vested interests to malign the Sabarimala pilgrimage.

Radhakrishnan said those people converted an incident of a child pilgrim crying in the absence of his parent into an "international news" projecting it as tears of kids shed at Sabarimala.

Charging that widespread attempts were made to cause concerns among devotees, the minister also requested that everyone withdraw from such campaigns.

The opposition Congress and BJP and a section of devotees recently came out against the Left government in the state, accusing it of failing to ensure basic amenities to pilgrims and its inability to manage the heavy rush at the shrine and its premises.