THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid a prolonged standoff between Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), Chief Minister V D Satheesan said there were no disputes between the government and the board and ruled out any move to reconstitute it. Satheesan, a regular visitor to the shrine, is likely to visit the pilgrimage centre during the Thulam month pooja.
Notably the chief minister chose to throw his weight behind the devaswom board, after TDB president K Jayakumar met him on Wednesday and briefed about the works undertaken by the board at Sabarimala.
At his post-cabinet briefing, Satheesan said he had chaired a meeting recently to fix targets, while acknowledging delays in certain works at Sabarimala. “There has been some delay in certain matters at Sabarimala. We are discussing these issues with the devaswom board,” he said.
He said the board president himself had pointed out that some works should have been initiated earlier. He also alleged that “intermediaries and middlemen” were playing “certain games” in some matters, adding that the government would not allow such activities.
“There are certain preparations to be made this year. Whatever is required, the government is ready for everything,” Satheesan said. The government’s priority was to ensure that the upcoming pilgrimage season proceeded without complaints, he said.
Directions had been issued to the police and Fire and Rescue Services as part of the preparations, he added.
Speaking to the media after meeting the chief minister, K Jayakumar said TDB has no differences with the government. “The CM did not have any issues or disagreements with the board’s works, and assured that the government will cooperate with us to effectively complete the Sabarimala season. There is no issue of mistrust or difference of opinion,” he said after his visit.
Talking about the aravana shortage issue, he said it was a short-term issue, and no such problem will resurface in the mandala season.
On Tuesday, the devaswom minister had criticised the Travancore Devaswom Board saying it showed negligence in the Sabarimala pilgrimage preparations.