The outgoing member of the Travancore Devaswom Board, Ajay Tharayil, has strongly criticised the Government decision dissolving the board by reducing its term from three years to two through an ordinance.
Addressing a press conference at the Press Club Hall here on Tuesday, Mr. Tharayil said the outgoing board president Prayar Gopalakrishnan and himself have jointly filed a writ petition in the Kerala High Court challenging the Government decision.
The dissolution of TDB on the eve of the annual Mandalam pilgrim season was purely politically motivated, he alleged.
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Mr. Tharayil accused the Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran of making irresponsible statements, leveling corruption charges against the board president and the member, with out having even the basic knowledge on Sabarimala and the development works there.
He alleged that the Minister’s statement that the TDB had not utilised the Central fund allocation worth ₹300 crore for various development projects at Sabarimala itself was baseless. The High Power Committee (HPC) for implementing various projects under the Sabarimala master plan had to spend the fund and the TDB had no role in it.
Mr Tharayil also turned his criticism against the High Power Committee too when he alleged that “certain elderly persons retired from service have been posted at the helm of the committee.”
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The strong opposition taken by the TDB president and the member against permitting women in the age group of 10 to 50 years had irked the Government that had filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court, favouring entry for women in all age groups to Sabarimala, he alleged.
The board staking claim for the alienated Devaswom land in the Cheruvally Estate, presently in the possession of the Believers Church, too invited strong displeasure of the Government that had been trying to protect the interests of the Church, he alleged.
The decision to reduce the TDB tenure facilitating the easing out of the president and the member who had completed two years in the office was part of a covert move to execute certain hidden agenda of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) at Sabarimala and various other Hindu places of worship, he alleged. Mr. Tharayil said Mr. Gopalakrishnan and himself would continue to interfere in the Sabarimala affairs by setting up a Sabarimala Protection Samiti.