Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 16 (IANS) Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, on Thursday, accused the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) of having “degenerated into a broker’s establishment” and called for the immediate disbanding of the TDB, resignation of State Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan and an investigation by a central probe agency into the Sabarimala temple gold scam case.

He made this remark while inaugurating a huge protest of the BJP’s women wing in front of the State Secretariat.

“The theft of 4.5 kg of gold from Sabarimala was not a minor lapse but a massive act of corruption and looting under the watch of the Kerala government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. We will ask the Union government to hand over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation or the Enforcement Directorate,” Chandrasekhar said.

State BJP General Secretary Sobha Surendran asserted that the BJP Mahila Morcha would lead a sustained battle against the “Sabarimala looting” by the state government.

“While the Congress leaders debated on television when rituals in Sabarimala Temple were violated, BJP cadres took to the streets to defend the temple traditions,” Surendran said.

State BJP Mahila Morcha President Navya Haridas said that the current protest is a continuation of the struggle waged years ago to protect the temple’s customs and traditions.

Many women, who had faced police cases, for chanting prayers during the earlier protests were present as well.

Haridas ridiculed the state government’s “Ayyappa Sangamam” as a “global empty gathering” and alleged massive misuse of funds collected in the name of Sabarimala.

While the BJP women wing’s protest was taking place against Unnikrishna Potti, the prime accused in the two FIR’s registered by the Special Investigation Team of the Kerala Police to probe the Sabarimala gold theft case, Potti was picked up from his residence in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram by a team of police officials.

His counsel Sasthamangalam Ajith said that there is no knowledge of Potti, his client, as no one knows where his whereabouts are.

“I had informed the SIT Chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar that if they need to question his client Unnikrishna Potti, he will appear before them. The SIT Chief replied saying that he will let me know. But now none knows where Potti is. We are waiting to see if he will be produced before any court,” Ajith added.

–IANS

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