Sabarimala gold missing row | Tantri gave Potti access to temple, not any minister: Kerala Minister Ganesh Kumar

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar on Monday said that Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold loss case, was given access to the hill shrine by the tantri (chief priest) and not by any minister.

He was speaking at the Martyrs Memorial in Palayam here, where the LDF held a day-long protest alleging financial blockade by the central government against the state.

Kumar said that during the local body elections, the Congress claimed that Potti had been given access to Sabarimala by some ministers and Devaswom Board members.

"Potti was given access by the tantri, not the mantri," he said, referring to the arrest of chief priest Kandararu Rajeevaru.

He said the finding was made by the Special Investigation Team appointed by the Kerala High Court.

Unlike in other cases where charge sheets are filed after FIRs are registered, the Court has been regularly reviewing the progress of the probe into the Sabarimala incident, he said.

"When we say that the thief Potti was brought to Sabarimala by the tantri, some people reject it. They want only those whom they are targeting to be named as accused," the minister said.

He said the investigation cannot be influenced by the state government or the chief minister. "If there is any irregularity in Sabarimala, it will come before the court and the accused will be punished," he added.

Kumar said he travelled across the state during the elections and found that the BJP and the Congress had only one narrative — Sabarimala.

He said it is now becoming clear who stole the gold and the vajivahanam from the sacred flagstaff of the temple as the investigation progresses.

"The UDF and the BJP should apologise to the people of Kerala for misleading them during the elections," he said.

He said that during the local body elections, the LDF highlighted the government’s development initiatives and the issues arising from the central government’s policies. On the other hand, the UDF and BJP evoked religious sentiments to influence voters.

"In any democracy or even in a fascist system, one thing that can be unleashed easily is religious sentiment," he said.

Kumar alleged that the BJP and the UDF were trying to divide majority and minority communities to capture power, and that the UDF was attempting to create chaos in the state for political gain.

He also alleged that the BJP, which won the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, had not introduced notable development projects in the other local bodies it had earlier governed.

He said the majority of funds for development projects in the state were spent by the Kerala government, while the Centre was not even releasing its share for several projects.

He asked Congress to demand the resignation of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who won on the party ticket.

The MLA was arrested in connection with a sexual assault case and the Congress had expelled him.

Kumar said the LDF government is ready to provide sufficient land for the establishment of an AIIMS in the state, but it has not yet been sanctioned. "Now it looks like we will have to start a hospital with AIIMS-like facilities," he said.