On retd Justice Indu Malhotra’s temples remark, Union Minister V Muraleedharan points at Sabarimala temple

Muraleedharan, in a Facebook post, said Kerala has not forgotten the heinous attempts of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Government to violate the traditions at the Sabarimala temple. Muraleedharan is also a senior BJP leader from the southern state.

There are a lot of incidents which substantiate the observations of Justice Malhotra that the Communists infringe upon the traditions and management of temples in the state, he said. They have tried to take control of several temples and Kerala should think about this Communist intolerance towards the majority community, he added.

Kerala Devaswom (Temple Affairs) Minister K Radhakrishnan said the allegations raised by the retired Supreme Court judge were baseless. “Neither the CPI(M) nor the LDF Government has taken control of any temple in Kerala. The Communists had fought only for ensuring the right to worship for all sections of Hindus. The LDF Government had taken steps to recover alienated temple properties and to ensure that all temple staff are paid regularly,” said Radhakrishnan.

Instead of taking the revenue of the temples, the State Government has been giving financial assistance to temples under various temple boards, he said.

On Monday, the minister informed the state Assembly the Kerala Government had given an assistance of Rs 165 crore to the Travancore Devaswom Board, Cochin Devaswom Board, Malabar Devaswom Board, and Koodalmanikyam Devaswom Board to tide over the crisis created by the coronavirus pandemic and floods of 2018. He also listed other grants-in-aid extended to the major temples in the state.