Sabarimala temple belongs to Devaswom Board not the tantri: Kerala CM

Pathanamthitta: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has taken a tough stand on the Sabarimala issue and asserted that the administration of the temple rests with the devaswom board and not the tantri.

Castigating the threat of the tantri to close down the shrine if women happen to enter it, Mr Vijayan said, “the government knows how to deal with anyone who thinks that he could close down the temple and get away with the keys. The Sabarimala shrine is not the property of any tantri,” he added.

Mr Vijayan, who was addressing a public meeting organised by the LDF here to explain the stand of the government on the Sabarimala issue, said the Thamamon family, to which the tantris belong, had come from Andhra Pradesh when Brahmins were brought here.

“There are several deities across the country manifested as ‘naishtik brahmacharis,’ As Ayyappa also belongs to this category, the tantri should also be a celibate,” he said. 

“We know the tantris here who have not observed celibacy, but committed adultery,” he said referring to the infamous tantri blackmailing case that took place in Ernakulam a few years back.

The meeting was part of the LDF campaign to allay the apprehensions of the people about Sabarimala in the context of the rising resentment against the government’s decisions. The crowd, including women, cheered the chief minister during his strongly-worded speech.

He warned the forces that try to destroy religious harmony in the state and asserted that government will not file a review petition in the Supreme Court against its verdict permitting women of all ages to worship at Sabarimala. He also criticised the devaswom board’s move to approach the court and said the result would be devastating.

“The government is committed to ensuring safety of the believers visiting the shrine and safeguarding the peaceful atmosphere at Sabarimala. There will be no compromise if somebody intends to destroy it,” he added.

He dismissed the claims of Pandalam royal family over the shrine and said it was once sold to the Travancore kingdom after the family was debt-ridden.

He castigated the communal forces trying to create trouble at Sabarimala and said, “the violence against the believers was perpetrated by the RSS and the attacks on the houses of women who tried to visit the shrine were pre-planned,” he said.

He also took a dig at the Congress protestors saying they have the body of Congress men and the mind of the BJP.