In his first comments on the Guruvayur 'purification' issue, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan on Monday said the 'punyaham' conducted after the visit of Union Minister Vayalar Ravi's son to the temple was a 'primitive act and an insult to the entire nation.'

"This is a primitive act. It is an insult to Guruvayur, the state and the entire nation," Achuthanandan said, inaugurating the A K Gopalan Memorial Gate put up in the temple town as part of the Platinum Jubilee of the Guruvayur Satyagraha, one of the country's pioneering struggles for the temple entry right to the backward classes and Dalits.

It was high time that the priests and religious scholars introspected on giving up obsolete and superstitious practices like the 'punyaham,' he said.

He said it was all the more regrettable that this sort of a thing had happened in Guruvayur, which was the venue for a major struggle for social justice 75 years ago, under the leadership of leaders like K Kelappan and legendary Marxist A K Gopalan.

The fight against caste discrimination and superstitions was part of India's freedom movement. It was unfortunate that even after 60 years of Independence such 'primitive' practices were followed, he said.

The chief minister said the priests should strive to liberate themselves from the 'prison of outdated customs and traditions' that remained a slur on society as a whole.