Malappuram (Kerala) | The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala launched a scathing attack on the opposition Congress on Tuesday over alleged irregularities reported at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple, accusing prominent Congress leaders of having a clear role in the matter.
Addressing reporters here, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said that a section of the media, which had earlier carried reports on the gold loss case with enthusiasm in the hope of putting the Left on the defensive, was maintaining silence after facts related to the role of Congress leaders emerged.
The senior leader's remarks came a day after the Kerala High Court ordered a vigilance probe into the alleged misappropriation of gold and money in connection with the installation of a new temple flag mast at the Sabarimala shrine in 2017.
Govindan said the alleged irregularities that have now come to light were committed during the tenure of senior Congress leader Prayar Gopalakrishnan as Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president, when Congress leader Ajay Tharayil was serving as a board member.
"With the present High Court order, it has now become clear that the prominent leadership of the Congress party had a significant role in the installation of the new flag mast," Govindan said.
He alleged that gold donated by many devotees for the new flag mast was missing and that crores of rupees had been collected in its name.
"It is also said that there was no proper accounting for any of these, and no receipts had been issued," the CPI(M) state secretary further alleged, seeking to know what happened to the gold and money collected in the name of the new flag mast at Sabarimala.
The Left leader demanded that those responsible for the irregularities be brought before the law.
He also urged Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan to clarify the circumstances surrounding the meeting between the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold loss case, Unnikrishnan Potti, and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
Replying to a question, Govindan also accused Satheesan of acting as the "coordinator" of a BJP–Muslim League–Congress–Jamaat-e-Islami nexus in the state.
He sought to know the stand of the Congress high command on the party's association with the Jamaat-e-Islami.
The High Court, on Monday, ordered the vigilance probe based on a report by the Sabarimala chief vigilance officer following a complaint by a devotee alleging discrepancies in connection with the installation of the flag mast.
The chief vigilance officer stated that the discrepancies noticed during the preliminary probe were of a grave nature and warranted a detailed enquiry to rule out offences such as criminal misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, falsification of records and cheating, punishable under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
