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Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 23 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced a two-day protest and blockade of the secretariat against the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government, alleging massive corruption and cover-up in the alleged gold loot case from the Sabarimala temple.
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrashekhar will inaugurate the dharna to be held on 24th and 25th October.
The party has said that the aim of the agitation is to “expose the moral and administrative degradation” of the state government and demand accountability for the misappropriation of temple property.
The BJP state leadership has four major demands, which include resignation of Devaswom minister VN Vasavan, holding him politically responsible for the scam; The Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the Sabarimala temple, was dissolved citing alleged irregularities and misuse of funds. The third demand is a comprehensive investigation by central agencies into all the financial transactions of the Devaswom Board over the last three decades.
According to the BJP, only an independent central inquiry can ensure transparency and restore public confidence in the administration of the temple property.
The last demand is for an immediate audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of all Devaswom boards functioning across the state.
Party leaders have alleged that the loot of gold from Sabarimala is one of the biggest scams in recent times and accused the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of shielding those responsible.
The BJP said it would intensify the agitation if the government failed to act on the issue.
The protests, which will see participation from across the state, are expected to create huge political waves in Kerala, especially with the local body elections coming up soon and the assembly elections scheduled for early 2026.
Incidentally, the latest round of protests comes soon after the party’s state leadership met visiting President Draupadi Murmu and briefed him about the Sabarimala scam. Chandrashekhar also wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding immediate intervention from the Centre.
The move comes at a time when the Kerala High Court-appointed SIT has arrested two of the 10 accused named in two FIRs filed by the SIT.
Both the BJP and the Congress have expressed displeasure over the SIT investigation as it revolves around officials of the TDB and sponsors, excluding the political leadership of the CPI(M), whom these parties identify as the key people behind the scam.
–IANS
SG/DPB