Thiruvananthapuram: Congress and BJP leaders have welcomed the government’s decision to appoint K Jayakumar as the new Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president. Former KPCC president M M Hassan said there was a concern among devotees that the idol of Lord Ayyappa would disappear ahead of the Sabarimala Mandala season under the LDF government.
“Amidst this, the government decided to appoint K Jayakumar, known for his honesty, fairness and impartiality, instead of a Marxist leader,” said Hassan. He added that the government was compelled to remove the communist leader from the position of TDB president due to the current circumstances.
Hassan alleged that former TDB presidents are all implicated in the gold theft case. He stated that Jayakumar’s appointment is also an acknowledgment by the government that devaswom minister and TDB presidents, who were Marxist leaders, were involved in this scandal. Hassan added that the government abandoned the move to extend the current president’s term only because of the High Court’s remarks. He called for the ongoing investigation to be intensified to identify all the criminals involved in this heist and bring them to justice.
Meanwhile, former BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan said the government’s decision to appoint Jayakumar as TDB president is seen as recognition of the long-standing demand by devotees to keep temples free from political influence.
However, he added that merely appointing a new president will not solve the issues in the temples. The permanent solution is to free temples like Sabarimala from government control. He demanded strong action against those involved in massive corruption, fraud, and embezzlement. Furthermore, the devaswom lands that have been misappropriated due to official negligence should be reclaimed, and the Devaswom Board, which has become a “satellite of the ruling party,” should be transformed into an independent sovereign Hindu religious institution. (TOI)
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