PATHANAMTHITTA: The Sabarimala Samrakshana Sangamam organised by Sangh Parivar groups in Pandalam on Monday, which drew thousands of devotees, turned into a platform for sharp criticism of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin.
Inaugurating a public meeting in the evening, former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai launched a blistering attack on the two leaders, terming them “nastik dramacharis”. He accused them of misusing devotees’ platforms while standing against the Sanatana Dharma. “Both atheist friends came together only to perform drama. Even their conferences saw poor turnout,” he quipped, beginning his speech by bowing before devotees.
The Sabarimala Samrakshana Sangamam was organised in response to the Travancore Devaswom Board’s Global Ayyappa Sangamam which was inaugurated by Pinarayi.
Speaking in Tamil, Annamalai tore into the LDF government’s Ayyappa Sangamam and drew parallels with the DMK government’s Global Muruga Conference held in Madurai.
“It was Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi who spoke about eradicating Sanatana dharma, and it was Pinarayi Vijayan who invited them to Kerala. The Ayyappa Sangamam itself was a replica of the earlier DMK programme, held only for electoral gains,” he said. Training his guns on Pinarayi, Annamalai said: “Those who deny the existence of God now take Bhagavad Gita classes. If you quote from Chapter 12, at least learn there are chapters before it. The Gita teaches that lust, anger and greed are the gateways to hell — Kerala Communist ruler Pinarayi Vijayan has all three.”
“Seventeen hundred years ago, the Pandalam royal family emerged from the Pandya kingdom. There was no division as Tamils and Malayalis then. Everyone followed the same dharma. Today, I am here not as a Tamilian, but as one among thousands of devotees of Sanatana Dharma,” Annamalai said.
Quoting Tiruvalluvar, Annamalai said a King betraying people and misusing laws is crueller than murder. “That is what Pinarayi did at Pandalam in 2018-19. Using his power, he unleashed troubles on lakhs of Ayyappa devotees. A ruler is not supposed to do what Pinarayi has done. Yet, he delivers Gita lectures,” he said.
Annamalai also alleged large-scale loss of temple land under the DMK regime in Tamil Nadu. “In 1985, Tamil Nadu’s HR&CE (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department) controlled 5.25 lakh acres. Today, it has only 4 lakh acres. In 40 years, 1.25 lakh acres vanished. Yet, minister Sekar Babu comes here asking for five acres in Pandalam. After looting so much, they are still greedy for land,” he said.
Touching on Sabarimala’s revenue, he said the shrine collected over Rs 1,300 crore in the past three seasons alone. “You build bridges or roads worth Rs 100 crore, then take away the entire hundi revenue - just like DMK drains Tamil Nadu temples,” he alleged.
He also slammed the LDF government over the “missing gold” from the Sabarimala dwarapalaka idols. “You cannot safeguard 4 kg of gold belonging to Ayyappa, yet you preach to us how to be devotees,” he remarked.
On the affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, Annamalai demanded that the Kerala government withdraw its earlier stand. “If you file an affidavit saying women between 10 and 50 will not be allowed at Sabarimala, we will believe you are true devotees of Ayyappa,” he said. He stressed that temple funding is not a government favour but a constitutional obligation. “Mr Vijayan must understand this is not alms thrown at Ayyappa. It is the state’s constitutional duty to fund the Travancore Devaswom Board,” he said.