GURUVAYUR: In a sudden development, Guruvayur Devaswom Board chairman Dr V K Vijayan was unceremoniously shown the door on Wednesday — hardly 10 days before his term was set to end— with the annual festival at the Sree Krishna Temple still under way.
Around 2pm, while he was busy overseeing festival arrangements, Vijayan received a phone call from higher ups in the government bluntly directing him to put in his papers, and vacate the premises before 6pm.
According to sources, the government had asked Vijayan to submit his resignation a fortnight ago to facilitate the appointment of a new chairman before the model code of conduct for the assembly polls took effect. However, he reportedly stalled the move on one pretext or another. Annoyed at this, the chief minister’s office stepped in, and firmly directed him to quit, the sources said.
Vijayan told TNIE that he was stepping down with complete satisfaction after four years of working for the devaswom, the temple, and its devotees.
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He said he chose to step down immediately without waiting for the festival to end, to avoid any administrative uncertainty during the festival time.
Reflecting on his tenure, he noted that several key administrative and developmental initiatives were undertaken under his leadership, including infrastructure upgrades, improved facilities for devotees, and measures to strengthen financial efficiency. With his resignation, the process to appoint a new chairman is set to begin shortly. Sources said A V Gopinath is likely to be nominated to the post during the festival period itself.