Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 10 (IANS) Kerala BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday alleged that a CPI(M)-Congress “vested-interest nexus” was behind the Sabarimala gold heist case, raising questions over the arrest of tantri (priest) Kantarar Rajeevar, and added it was aimed at diverting attention from those actually responsible.

Chandrasekhar asked why no Minister had been arrested in the case. “If the tantri can be arrested, why is the Minister not being arrested?” he said, adding that powerful political figures were involved in the alleged gold theft.

He claimed the incident could not have occurred without political patronage and accused both the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the opposition Congress-led UDF of shielding those behind the crime.

Chandrasekhar announced that the BJP-led NDA would launch statewide protests against both fronts by lighting the “Ayyappa Jyothi” in homes and localities on January 14, Makara Vilakku day. He said the programme would mark the beginning of a broader agitation against what he described as political interference and mismanagement in the Sabarimala gold theft case.

The lighting of lamps in houses and neighbourhoods would symbolise public resistance against the LDF and UDF, he added.

Meanwhile, his predecessor K. Surendran alleged that the functioning of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was shrouded in mystery. Surendran said the tantri had no authority to keep custody of the bhandaram (hundi), and that the Devaswom Board was responsible for safeguarding temple assets.

He alleged that responsibility for the theft lay squarely with the Board and the government overseeing it. He further claimed that, if there was a violation of customs and traditions, the first arrest should have been that of the Chief Minister.

Surendran also pointed out that the remand report does not state that the tantri derived any financial benefit from the incident, raising doubts over the rationale behind the arrest.

Meanwhile, in a related development, a team of state BJP leaders on Saturday visited the home of the jailed tantri at Chengannur.

–IANS

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