Sabarimala 'gold theft' row: BJP delegation calls on Kerala Guv, demands dissolving Temple Board, CAG audit

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 13 (ANI): A BJP delegation led by the party's Kerala unit chief and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday called on Governor Rajendera Arlekar and sought his intervention in the alleged theft of gold from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, which has sparked a political row in the state.
The BJP has accused the Pinarayi Vijayan-led CPM government of corruption.
"We gave a detailed representation representing the angst, the anger and the feelings of people of Kerala. Every Malayali, irrespective of which community he or she belongs to, is aghast, angry, and upset at the kind of activities that are going on in Kerala. An example of which has really outraged everybody, which is the theft of 4.5 kgs of gold from the sacred shrine of Sabrimala, " Chandrashekar told reporters here today.
Senior leaders of the BJP's Kerala unit, including former Union Minister V. Muralidharan, Krishnadas, Kummanam Rajasekharan, and the two general secretaries, Suresh and Anoop Antony, were also part of the delegation that met the Governor.
"The CPM Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinrayi Vijayan, goes to Delhi and has the gall, temerity, shamelessness to refer to this four-and-a-half kg gold heist and call it a slip-up. We have met the Governor and explained to him this deep-seated anger and how we seek his intervention in four separate issues." Chandrashekar said.
The BJP leaders had urged the dissolution of the Devasom Board, which they said is accountable legally and constitutionally for the safety and upkeep of the temples. "We want it to be dissolved forthwith pending the investigation," he said.
He further stated that all vigilance and audit reports of the Devasom Board should be made public, as well as a CAG audit of all Devasom Boards and the properties, assets, and operations of all temples.
Further, the BJP state president said, "We would like an Independent central agency to investigate the criminal elements of this type of gold theft of our sacred shrines."
Chandrashekar said that the Governor had assured the delegation to look into the matter and that he is "worried and disturbed about what is happening in the state."
The BJP leader futher said that the Devasom minister Vasan and the chairman of the board should be held accountable for the alleged gold theft.
"If an elected government and an elected minister who, under the Constitution, is bound to protect the temples and the devotees' faith, does the opposite of that and presides over a Devasom Board that has become an organisation of brokers and thieves; don't tell me that there are no powers to make these people accountanle under law. There are ways of making these people accountable."
"We have made it our mission to make these people accountable..." he said, adding that those in the CPM and Congress parties have also told him that what is happening is "not an acceptable situation for the state."
He said that a situation where the Kerala Police reports to the Home minister of the State, who is also the Chief Minister, "does not inspire confidence" in an impartial investigation.
Meanwhile, amid the political turmoil, the Kerala High Court has taken suo motu cognisance and ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a thorough probe into the matter.
Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, took out a march in Thiruvananthapuram against the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government today over the alleged theft of gold from the Ayyappa Temple.
BJP leader V Muraleedharan slammed the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led government in Kerala for attempting to suppress public protests over the gold theft row.
Speaking to reporters here today, Muraleedharan said, "The government is suppressing the protests over the Sabarimala robbery... The march to the office of the Devaswom Minister today in Kottayam was met by the CPI(M) by resorting to strong-arm tactics and unleashing an attack on the participants of that agitation."
He further alleged that the state government was evading questions raised by devotees and instead using force to silence dissent. "This approach of the government shows that they have no answer to the questions being raised by the devotees... Instead of replying, they are trying to silence and attack those who have resorted to protest," he said.
The Travancore Devasom Vigilance, in a detailed report submitted to the Kerala High Court, has exposed a web of serious procedural violations, unauthorised interventions, and suspicious financial dealings surrounding the gold plating of the Dwarapalaka idols and copper panels at the Sabarimala Sreekovil temple.
In a related development, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Kerala has launched an inquiry into the Chennai-based firm Smart Creation, which electroplated the gold-clad copper coverings of the Dwarpalaka (guardian deity) idols at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.
The SIT team arrived in Chennai today and is conducting an inquiry at the company's head office in Ambattur. (ANI)