Kerala: Board warns of action after RSS prayer song played at Kollam temple

Thiruvananthapuram: Close on the heels of a row over CPM's revolutionary songs being sung at a temple festival in Kerala, RSS's 'Gana geetham' was sung at another nearby temple on Sunday.

The incidents seem to be part of attempts by political parties to woo devotees for their electoral gains.

The fresh incident took place at Manjippuzha Sree Bhagavathy Badrakali temple at Kottukkal near Kadakkal on the suburbs of Kollam as part of the temple festival on Sunday. 'Gana geetham' was sung during a music concert as part of the festival.

With Congress demanding action against the temple authorities, the Travancore Devaswaom Board that manages the temple is inquiring into the incident and action is likely to be taken against temple officials.

The earlier incident of singing CPM revolutionary song at the Kadakkal devi temple had invited severe criticism from the High Court also. The HC had then pointed out that temples under the devaswom boards should not be used for political purposes.

While symbols of CPM and its youth outfit DYFI were displayed along with the revolutionary song at the Kadakkal devi temple, RSS flags were erected on the premises of the Manjippuzha temple.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan of the Congress, who demanded strong action, said that the back to back incidents at the two temples vindicated that the BJP and the CPM were just two sides of the same coin. The CPM had shown the way to the BJP and Sangh Parivar by using temple festival venues for political campaigns. It was narrow minded people who politicise temple festivals, he criticized.