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Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan on Monday alleged that more than 5 kilograms of gold donated by the UB Group and Vijay Mallya to the Sabarimala temple was misappropriated and demanded a CBI probe under the supervision of the Kerala High Court.
"This is a very serious matter... UB Group and Vijay Mallaya donated more than 30 kg of gold to the Sabarimala Temple for plating various things. Unfortunately, through some middlemen, more than 5kg of that gold was robbed," Satheesan told ANI. He alleged that the actual quantity of missing gold could be higher and accused the Travancore Devaswom Board and the state government of concealing the matter. "We think that further investigation will reveal the exact weight of gold lost, which will be much more... Devaswom Board and the government were aware of this, but they have not initiated any criminal proceedings against the concerned persons," he said. The Congress leader further alleged that members of the Devaswom Board and certain individuals in the government were involved in the alleged cover-up."Devaswom Board members and some people in the government are involved in this. They tried to conceal this thing for a long time. Because of the intervention of the High Court, this matter came to light... Our demand is that this case be investigated by the CBI under the supervision of the Kerala High Court," he added. Earlier in the day, the Kerala Legislative Assembly witnessed high drama as the Opposition created an uproar over the alleged disappearance of gold sheets used for plating the sanctum sanctorum of the Sabarimala shrine. The ruckus forced Speaker AN Shamseer to cancel the Question Hour and adjourn the House temporarily. Opposition MLAs, carrying placards and banners with slogans such as "Ayyappan's gold stolen, temple devoured by looters," surrounded the Speaker's podium and staged a protest in the well of the House. Finance Minister KN Balagopal condemned the Opposition's actions, calling the disruption "unprecedented and improper," while Speaker Shamseer said obstructing proceedings amounted to "disrespect towards the people." (ANI)
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