Sabarimala gold issue: Kerala opposition leader and ex-Devaswom Minister trade allegations

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 8 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly V D Satheesan on Wednesday accused former state Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran of facilitating sale of the original 'Dwarapalaka' idols of the Sabarimala temple.

Surendran hit back at Satheesan by terming his allegations as the ramblings of a person who has lost his mental balance.

While the opposition leader made the allegation outside the House, the CPI(M) leader responded to it in the Assembly.

After the Congress-led UDF boycotted the House proceedings in the morning over the alleged irregularities in the gold-plating of the 'Dwarapalaka' (guardian deity) idols in the Lord Ayyappa shrine, Satheesan claimed that the idols have been sold to a rich person and Surendran was an intermediary in that transaction.

Following his allegation, as the Assembly proceedings were going on in the absence of the UDF, Surendran charged that the remark was the ramblings of a person who has lost his mental balance.

The CPI(M) leader also challenged Satheesan to prove his claim or quit his political career and go into exile.

"My challenge is that if you are a man, who has courage and pride, you should say who is the rich person to whom the idols were sold. If you cannot do that, then you should end your political career and go into exile," Surendran said.

He also accused Satheesan of having joined forces with the BJP.

Satheesan alleged that the original 'Dwarapalaka' idols were sold by the CPI(M) to a rich person and that Surendran, who was the Devaswom Minister in the last Left government, was aware of who was the buyer as he acted as an intermediary.

He further alleged that even the door frame and doors of the shrine have been taken away.

"Whatever can be misappropriated from the shrine, has been (taken away from the temple)," he claimed.

Satheesan further said that shocking revelations are being made in connection with the shrine.

He said that there will be strong protests inside and outside the House, against the alleged irregularities in the shrine.

On Monday, the Kerala High Court directed the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into alleged irregularities related to the reduced weight of gold-clad copper plates adorning the guardian deity idols at Sabarimala.

The weight reduction came to light during court proceedings on a decision to send the claddings for gold-plating again this year, without informing the High Court.

It was revealed that when the claddings were last removed from the Lord Ayyappa shrine for gold-plating in 2019, their weight had reduced by about 4.5 kg, a fact that had not been reported by Devaswom officials. PTI HMP HMP ADB