Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party President PS Sreedharan Pillai on Saturday backtracked on his remark that the chief priest of the Sabarimala temple had consulted him on the idea of closing the shrine if women of menstruating age entered the premises, PTI reported. Pillai said he meant someone in the priest’s family, and not the priest himself, had called him.

A video of a speech that emerged on Monday showed Pillai claiming that he had told Kandararu Rajeevaru, the head priest, that shutting the shrine if women were allowed entry would not invite contempt of court. Pillai had made the claim in a closed-door address to party workers in Kozhikode. He moved the Kerala High Court on Friday after police filed a case against him for the remarks. The Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the temple, has sought an explanation from Rajeevaru.

After news channels played the video on Monday, Pillai defended his decision to advise Rajeevaru, saying he was a lawyer too and had given legal opinion. The chief priest, however, denied having such a discussion with Pillai.

On Saturday, Pillai said there is no need to doubt the priest’s claim that he had not called him up.

Pillai, with his party workers, is on a six-day “Save Sabarimala Rath Yatra” from Kasargod district to “protect the traditions and rituals” of the temple. The march will culminate at Erumeli near Sabarimala on November 13, when the Supreme Court is set to hear the review petitions against its order allowing women of all ages entry to the shrine.

The temple has opened for devotees twice since the court’s order in September. No woman was able to enter the temple in either instance amid massive protests. When the temple opened for five days in mid-October, Rajeevaru had threatened to shut the sanctum sanctorum if two young women attempting to trek to the temple were allowed to reach the premises.