Sabarimala-centred controversies dog the Kerala government as the Legislative Assembly reconvenes on October 6

A fresh controversy surrounding the alleged misuse of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) surplus funds for organising the Global Ayyappa Sangamam at Pampa in September appeared to dog the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government on the eve of the Kerala Legislative Assembly session on Monday (October 6, 2025).

Congress leader and former Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan accused the government of illegally diverting the temple’s revenue from devotees to organise a “pre-election political pageant with an eye on the votes of lakhs of Ayyappa devotees.”

Mr. Radhakrishnan alleged that the government had committed perjury by “falsely testifying” in the High Court, while seeking the court’s permission for the meet, that it would not tap into the TDB funds for underwriting the official event. He alleged that private contractors with government connections profited from the “illegal fund diversion.”

No illegality involved: CPI(M)

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State committee member K. Anil Kumar stated that the TDB had informed the court that it would remit the funds to the board’s treasury within a specified time period, contingent upon payment from the event’s sponsors. “There is no illegality as alleged. Those opposed to Sabarimala development are spreading the canards,” he added. 

Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding the “misuse and theft of temple offerings at Sabarimala” also seemed to render the government vulnerable to criticism from hindu social organisations and Opposition parties ahead of the Assembly session.

In an opinion piece in Yoga Nadam, the mouthpiece of the influential Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, the social organisation’s general secretary Vellapally Natesan alleged that an entrenched cabal of corrupt officials, pilferers, and their agents had free rein in Sabarimala, and the “mafia” exploited the faith of Ayyappa devotees for financial gain. 

Recently, the SNDP Yogam and the Nair Service Society (NSS), another influential hindu social organisation, had aligned itself with the government’s Devaswom policy after the ruling front promised to insulate the Sabarimala tradition, including the customary ban on the entry of women of childbearing age into the temple, and ensure its future development into an international religious destination.

CBI probe

United Democratic Front (UDF) convener Adoor Prakash said the Opposition would take to the streets on Monday, demanding a High Court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the “Sabarimala temple theft scam.” Mr. Prakash signalled the UDF’s deep distrust of a probe by Kerala’s law enforcement. 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader P.K. Krishnadas said that thousands of Ayyappa devotees, including women and children, would lay siege to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s official residence at the Cliff House in Thiruvananthapuram for a CBI probe.