THRISSUR: At a time when the LDF government faces strong criticism over the misuse of flood relief fund, the Guruvayur Devaswom’s contribution of Rs 5 crore to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund sparked a fresh controversy on Tuesday. Handing over the fund to District Collector S Shanavas here, Guruvayur Devaswom chairman KB Mohandas said that the contribution to the fund was a part of the devaswom’s social responsibility and there was nothing unlawful about it. “Guruvayur Devaswom had also donated a fund to CMDRF after the flood and it was given after obtaining the permission of the Devaswom Commissioner,” he said. The devaswom used the interest amount received from the fixed deposits from the banks.
Addressing the concerns over the source of income to pay the salaries of devaswom staff since the temple lacked a proper income during lockdown, Mohandas assured that the devaswom was financially secure and interest amount for fixed deposits would be more than enough to pay the salaries. Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson B Gopalakrishnan said that the contribution to CMDRF from devaswom income was not legal.
“As per section 27 of the Guruvayur Devaswom Act, the main deity, Sree Krishna, is a minor and the owner of all property and income. It is well written by law that this income and properties should only be used for temple purposes. Moreover, there already exists a case in the High Court challenging Guruvayur Devaswom’s contribution to CMDRF after the 2018 flood,” he said.