Kerala Assembly Disrupted Amidst Sabarimala Gold Scandal Allegations

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 7 (PTI) Opposition MLAs in Kerala have once again disrupted Assembly proceedings, pressing for the resignation of the state Devaswom Minister amid allegations of irregularities involving gold-clad copper plates at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple. Even though Speaker A N Shamseer initially attempted to continue with the question hour, dismissing the uproar from UDF MLAs, he ultimately suspended it, pausing the session as UDF members persisted in their protests, displaying banners and placards in front of his podium.

As soon as the session began, and Speaker Shamseer took his seat, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan raised the High Court's findings concerning the alleged irregularities. Describing the judiciary's findings as "shocking," he pointed out that the High Court indicated the gold covering of Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala had been sold at exorbitant rates. Satheesan accused the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), responsible for managing the shrine, of violating the sanctity of Sabarimala Temple and deceiving millions of devotees of Lord Ayyappa.

"Our firm demand is for the Devaswom Minister to resign, alongside the dissolution of the TDB," Satheesan stated. "The government should announce this decision immediately." In response, Law Minister P Rajeev and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh strongly criticized the opposition, labeling their ongoing protest as theatrical. "The government has endorsed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe initiated by the High Court on this matter. The Leader of the Opposition's stance seems to disregard the court's authority," Rajeev claimed.

The minister further alleged that the opposition aimed to disrupt Assembly proceedings for their "narrow political gains." Rajesh condemned the UDF for their protest, accusing them of fearing the judiciary, Assembly debates, and public opinion, with the protest serving as "evidence of this." Despite the Speaker's repeated requests for the opposition MLAs to return to their seats, they remained defiant. "The government is open to debating the issue. The SIT has already been established. Why then are you protesting?" Shamseer questioned.

Subsequently, he announced the suspension of the question hour, stating that the session would resume shortly. The Assembly had already been adjourned on Monday due to opposition unrest over the Sabarimala controversy. The Kerala High Court on Monday mandated the formation of an SIT to investigate potential irregularities tied to the diminished weight of gold-clad copper plates on the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala.

The High Court's directive came after an interim report from the TDB Vigilance team on their preliminary probe into the issue. The Court had recently instructed the TDB Vigilance to investigate the reduced weight of the Dwarapalaka idols after these were sent for electroplating to a Chennai-based company, a project funded by businessman Unnikrishnan Potty in 2019.

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