CM Vijayan backs out of Arpo Aarthavam or celebration of menstruation event in Kochi

KOCHI Jan 13: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has backed out from the Arpo Arthavam, a two-day event celebrating menstruation and speaking up against taboos on Sunday.

CM Vijayan was slated to arrive at the venue in Kochi at 12 pm on Sunday. However, at 12.30 pm, even as reports of the CM cancelling the event from his schedule emerged, the organisers of the event were clueless. The participants, too, were expecting the CM. While initially the organisers insisted that the Chief Minister will arrive, they later confirmed that he will not attend.

“At 1.30 pm, we received a call from the CPI (M) district committee office in Ernakulam that the CM will not be attending the event. Until then, we were constantly in communication with the police to ensure all security arrangements for him were in place,” a member of the organising committee informed.

The two-day event was inaugurated in Kochi by Avantika, Trupti, Renju and Ananya – the four trans women who entered Sabarimala Temple in December 2018.