Devotees at the Sabarimala temple, PM Modi
Credit: PTI Photos
Thiruvananthapuram: The BJP in Kerala on Monday launched a drive to collect one crore signatures from Ayyappa devotees, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the Sabarimala gold loss row.
The initiative began on the first day of the Malayalam month of Vrischikam, marking the start of the annual pilgrimage season at Sabarimala.
Launching the initiative in front of the Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple here, BJP state general secretary S Suresh said the collected signatures would be submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He urged Ayyappa devotees from neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to support the drive, saying such unity was essential to "protect Sabarimala." "What happened in Sabarimala was not just the theft of gold. The BJP will continue its agitation until all culprits are brought to justice," he said.
Suresh accused successive LDF and UDF governments in Kerala of attempting to "destroy Sabarimala" and alleged that ruling regimes had been pursuing "secret plans" through agents and middlemen to undermine the shrine.
"These attempts must be brought to national attention. The signature campaign is part of that effort," he said, adding that devotees had begun supporting the initiative even before its formal launch.
Signature collection drives were held in several parts of the state on Monday, party leaders said.
Earlier this month, BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar announced the campaign, calling it a protest against alleged irregularities in the gold-plating of Sabarimala artefacts and the lack of basic facilities for pilgrims.
He said party workers would conduct house visits and signature drives across South India.
The issue dates back to 2019, when gold-plated doors and frames at Sabarimala were removed for maintenance.
After the work was completed, the gold’s weight did not match expectations, raising concerns that a significant quantity had gone missing during the re-plating process.
The Kerala High Court ordered a thorough investigation, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to probe the matter.
The SIT’s inquiry pointed to possible conspiracy and corruption, leading to the arrest of several individuals, including the main accused, Unnikrishnan Potti and former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president N Vasu, who was the Devaswom Commissioner at the time.
Chandrasekhar also demanded a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of the Travancore Devaswom Board’s activities over the past 30 years.