GURUVAYUR: Alleging large-scale corruption and discrepancies in temple administration, the BJP on Thursday announced that it will launch a massive protest against irregularities in various devaswom boards. The party also demanded a CBI investigation into the alleged corruption. BJP state general secretary M T Ramesh, addressing a press conference in Guruvayur, said the party would launch a direct agitation against what he described as “rampant corruption” in the devaswom boards, which, he alleged, are functioning as “cash cows” under CPM control.
He said that following the revelations of irregularities at Sabarimala, similar issues have now surfaced in the Cochin, Travancore, and Malabar Devaswom Boards. Referring to the theft of the gold plate of the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala, Ramesh alleged that the devaswom board president had dismissed it as mere “stories,” while the chief minister defended the board. “The truth came out only after the High Court intervened,” he said.
Citing audit reports, Ramesh said there were clear indications of financial discrepancies in the Guruvayur devaswom. “There is no proper record of gold accounts. The entire stock of gold and silver should be verified and recorded under High Court supervision,” he demanded.
He alleged that devotees’ offerings (kanikka) are being deposited in cooperative banks and Kerala Bank, violating the rule that they must be placed in nationalised banks. “If these institutions fail, there is no government guarantee,” he said, citing the case of Thirunelli Temple under the Malabar Devaswom Board, where funds deposited in a cooperative institution became inaccessible.
