KOZHIKODE: BJP state president K Surendran on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict upholding the right of the Travancore royal family in the administration of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Speaking at a press conference here, the BJP state chief further alleged that the apex court’s ruling was a major setback to the LDF-led state government. “Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran had no other option but to welcome the verdict.
The question is whether the CM and CPM will welcome the verdict or not and the state government is willing to accept that its previous claim about the matter is wrong,” said Surendran. The state government should hand over the administration of other temples to devotees. “The verdict raises the question about the relevance of devaswom boards. It also highlights the importance of politically free administration in temples and political parties should not take a stance on the rituals and customs in the temples,” he added.