Devotees at the Sabarimala temple.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: Amidst the mystery over the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple gold row deepening, irregularities in the sale of ghee prasada at the hill shrine has come under probe.
The vigilance wing of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the temple, has found a shortage in the revenue from the sale of ghee through the temple counter.
While there were reports that there was a shortage of around 16,000 packets of ghee worth Rs 16 lakh, TDB sources told DH that the vigilance wing's inquiry was still progressing.
TDB president K Jayakumar maintained that any major irregularities with regard to ghee sale did not come to his notice.
According to sources, the fresh irregularity was found in the sale of ghee prasada in packets to the devotees through the temple counters during the ongoing pilgrimage season. There was a discrepancies in the funds and the total packets sold.
The Sabarimala gold row has already caused much damage to the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala as CPI(M) leaders were already arrested in the case and a former minister and some other LDF leaders are also under the scanner.
The mystery over the gold row was also deepening with a suspected antique smuggler also coming under the purview of the probe.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front, which is already believed to have benefited from the Sabarimala issue in the recent local body election, is now planning to raise it as a major subject in the campaign for the coming assembly elections. The BJP is also trying to cash in on the Sabarimala issue by organising demonstrations.
For these reasons, the irregularities over ghee sale could further fuel the political attack against the LDF government.