Senior Kerala CPI(M) leader P Jayarajan, known for leading the fight against the Sangh Parivar in Kannur, has triggered a row over a temple visit.

In a video that surfaced in the media Tuesday, Jayarajan was seen at the Sree Kurumba Bhagavathi Devi temple at Kodungallur in Thrissur. While the BJP claimed that Jayarajan has turned into a “believer”, the veteran communist leader said it was “not a darshan” but merely a visit to the temple.

Jayarajan, a former CPI(M) legislator, told the media that while travelling to Kochi in connection with a court case Monday, he had halted for tea near the temple. “I had a purpose behind the visit. My book, ‘Sanathanikalude Hindutva Vazhikal’, will be released later this month. It contains references to the Kodungallur temple, where non-Brahmanical traditions still prevail. Hence, I wanted to visit the temple.…