Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday requested the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Kerala government among others to not play politics with the respect attached with the Sabarimala temple and not 'desecrate' it.

'I believe this is a very important issue that raises some very profound questions about change in the interface between traditional modernity and our society in a changing world, and it cannot be handled lightly. What we have seen with the BJP's behaviour in terms of violence that they have conducted and the intimidation of the people in Sabarimala have utterly been disgraceful. Reducing this sanctified shrine to a place for political theatre while the BJP chief locally gloats that this has been a golden opportunity for his party is utterly shameful,' Tharoor told ANI here.