Vellapally Natesan roots for non-Brahmin priest

ALAPPUZHA: SNDP  Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan has demanded the withdrawal of the  TDB  order shelving the transfer of a non- Brahmin priest to Chettikulangara temple. He told DC on Friday  that he had asked the  Mavelikara union leaders to take up the matter seriously. “The Yogam will fight it out legally and politically.  We have been protesting against the  TDB’s casteist attitude over the years. TDB is still batting for upper caste dominance violating  Supreme Court verdicts,” he said.

Mr Natesan pointed out that the TDB was trying to implement  the same policy in  all temples.  “Recently, a writ petition was  filed in the High Court challenging the TDB order banning non-Malayala Brahmin from being considered as priest at Sabarimala, the richest temple of TDB.   It  will soon throw out all non-Brahmin priests from the temples.  The government should intervene to uphold the transfer order of the priest to the Chettikulngara temple,” he  said.       

Meanwhile, Mr Suresh Babu, secretary, SNDP Yogam, Mavelikara union, said that  Yogam advocate A.N. Rajan Babu had been asked to challenge the order in the court.  “We are planning to conduct an agitation next week,” he said.   The TDB had issued the order on Monday directing the authorities to cancel the transfer   of  Sudhikumar,  priest at Puthiyidom temple, Kayamkulam, to Chettikulngara temple.

The order has not given any reason for cancelling his transfer. The new order came after the High Court issued a judgement directing the TDB to resolve it addressing all grievances relating to the case on July 7 after Sreedevi Vilasam Hindu Matha Convention, a devotee outfit, filed a writ petition seeking a  ban on the non- Brahmin priest from being considered as priest at the temple.