Congress and CPM united in corruption, they have governed Kerala for decades, it is time to change that: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Speaking to reporters, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, "The corruption in Sabarimala and the four and a half kgs of gold that were looted from the Sabarimala were part of a long-standing pattern of political patronage of the Devaswom Board and its conversion into an organisation of brokers. This started way back during the Congress government and has continued and flourished under the CPM. We have asked for 30 years of the Audit of Devaswom Board accounts, and we have asked for Central Investigative Agency to investigate this."

He further said that during the recent local body elections, people became aware of the corruption that the state governmnet has undertaken in Sabrimala.

"Congress and UDF benefited from it. The Congress party and Congress governments in Kerala were also party to this corruption before the CPM. It is increasingly evident from photographs of Unnikrishnan Potti, a nobody and a criminal, who is more interested in stealing gold from Hindu temples, ensconced in photographs with Congress MPs and the Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. It is very clear that this culture of corruption in Kerala, targeting Hindus and Hindu temples, started during the Congress period and has got the patronage of the highest Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and has flourished under CPM. Congress and CPM are united in corruption. They have governed Kerala for decades. It is time to change that," he added.

Earlier, Rajeev Chandrasekhar escalated the political attack over the alleged gold theft at the Sabarimala temple, calling it "not just loot, but sacrilege," and demanded an independent Central investigation into the case.

In a post on X, Chandrasekhar said the Special Investigation Team's (SIT) own findings had validated the BJP's allegations from the outset. Referring to the reported stripping of gold from the Prabhamandalam and the Shiva and Vyali roopams, he alleged that the removal of 4.5 kg of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols could not have occurred without authorised access and "deep complicity at the highest levels of the government and the Devaswom."

"Because the Prabhamandalam is inside the Sreekovil, touching it and moving gold out is impossible without institutional collusion," Chandrasekhar said, rejecting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's earlier description of the incident as a "slip-up." He further alleged that evidence linking prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti to leaders of both the Congress and the CPI(M) pointed to political patronage across regimes that controlled Devaswom boards for decades.

The remarks came amid intensified political exchanges after UDF convener and Congress MP Adoor Prakash issued a clarification on his association with Unnikrishnan Potti. Responding to the Chief Minister's statement that he had accompanied Potti to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's residence, Prakash said Potti hailed from his parliamentary constituency and that his role was limited to accompanying him in his capacity as an MP. He maintained there was nothing improper about the visit.

The controversy has also triggered street protests. Earlier this week, Youth Congress workers staged a demonstration in Thiruvananthapuram, alleging delays in the probe, and police dispersed them using water cannons.

The Sabarimala gold controversy relates to alleged irregularities in gold plating works linked to a 1998 donation of 30.3 kg of gold and 1,900 kg of copper by industrialist Vijay Mallya. The SIT has arrested Unnikrishnan Potti and, more recently, former Travancore Devaswom Board member Vijayakumar, while submitting reports to the Kerala High Court flagging serious procedural lapses. (ANI)