Thiruvananthapuram | Senior BJP leader K S Radhakrishnan on Sunday demanded that the Thazhamon family be removed from the hereditary post of Tantri (chief priest) of the Sabarimala temple, alleging that the family had brought "disrepute" to the shrine and its devotees.
The demand comes amid media reports that Sabarimala Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru has written to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) seeking the appointment of his son, Brahmadattan, as the next Tantri from the Malayalam month of Chingam.
In a Facebook post, BJP state vice-president Radhakrishnan said the Devaswom Board was under no obligation to appoint a person recommended by those facing criminal proceedings merely on the basis of hereditary succession.
He alleged that no other family had caused as much "humiliation and sorrow" to the Sabarimala temple and millions of Ayyappa devotees as the Thazhamon family.
Radhakrishnan also levelled serious allegations against former Sabarimala Tantri Kandararu Mohanaru, another member of Thazhamon family, and referred to a case against by him in the past.
Referring to the Sabarimala gold loss case in which Rajeevaru was an accused, the leader sought to know whether the hereditary right should automatically pass on to the children of those facing criminal trial.
He further claimed that judicial rulings had made it clear that while Tantris enjoy authority over temple rituals, the appointing authority also has the power to remove them in accordance with the law.
The BJP leader urged the Travancore Devaswom Board to take an appropriate decision on the appointment of the next Tantri based on merit and legal provisions rather than family lineage alone.
Radhakrishnan's remarks assume significance as the BJP had recently protested the arrest of Rajeevar in connection with the alleged Sabarimala gold fraud case.
There was no immediate response from the Thazhamon family, the Travancore Devaswom Board or the BJP's state leadership to Radhakrishnan's allegations.
