THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a scathing attack on the ruling CPI-M government, Kerala Congress President Sunny Joseph has called for a high court-monitored investigation into the alleged massive corruption surrounding the Global Ayyappa Meet. The event, organized last year, has come under fire following a special commissioner’s report that exposed glaring irregularities.
Joseph accused the Left Democratic Front administration of misusing the Sabarimala administrative machinery for ‘looting and exploitation.’ He pointed to the special commissioner’s findings, which revealed serious lapses in the event’s organization. Contracts were awarded without tenders, particularly for pandal construction, handed over to a subsidiary of Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society at a 10% premium.
‘Sponsorship claims are fake, and accounting is nonexistent,’ Joseph thundered. He demanded that the Devaswom Board clarify the identities of these sponsors, noting that only ‘figures in thin air’ were presented as accounts. Cultural programs exceeded budgeted estimates, and GST bills along with supporting documents were conspicuously absent, potentially causing significant financial losses to the board.
The Congress leader linked these irregularities to a broader agenda to undermine Sabarimala. He criticized the government for not withdrawing a Supreme Court affidavit that allegedly violates temple traditions and for shielding those accused of stealing temple gold. ‘This government lacks the honesty to recover Sabarimala gold; instead, it’s providing bail opportunities to the culprits,’ he charged.
Targeting Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan, Joseph slammed his assembly stance as an attempt to protect those who ‘looted money in the name of Ayyappa Meet.’ Only a high court-supervised probe, he reiterated, can ensure transparency and restore public faith in the sacred institution.