Thiruvananthapuram, February 13: Allegations of financial irregularities surrounding the Global Ayyappa Meet linked to Sabarimala have ignited political turmoil. Senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and Tiruvenchur Radhakrishnan have accused Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan of misleading the assembly and are demanding full disclosure of the event’s financial details.
This controversial meeting took place last year, and the Kerala High Court has also made critical remarks regarding its financial accountability. Chennithala claimed that large-scale fraud occurred under the guise of the Ayyappa Meet. He announced plans to present a notice of privilege violation against the minister in the assembly, alleging that he was provided with misleading information.
The assembly session will resume on February 23, and Chennithala is expected to present the notice during that session. He stated that the minister had claimed that funds related to the event were transferred to the Devaswom Board, but the entire amount was not received.
He questioned, “The government stated in court that this event would not incur public expenses, yet a different narrative was presented in the assembly. Why are there conflicting figures between the assembly and the High Court?” He demanded clarity from both the government and the Devaswom Board.
Radhakrishnan echoed these accusations, stating that the event has become a liability for the government. He emphasized that the assembly’s records are considered reliable and questioned why accurate information was not provided in the house.
He asked, “Why were two different accounts presented before the assembly and the High Court?” He insisted that the government and the Devaswom Board clarify this discrepancy.
Chennithala also raised concerns about the event’s management, questioning how responsibilities were allocated and whether expense claims were inflated. He alleged that bills were created for programs that did not actually occur and sought clarity on the logistics and payment discrepancies.
Both leaders asserted that the complete financial details of the Ayyappa Meet should be made available to the public. They stated, “Citizens have the right to know the truth.” They demanded a clear response from the Devaswom Minister regarding any discrepancies between the minister and the Devaswom Board in managing the event’s finances.
In response to the controversy, former TDB chairman P.S. Prashanth, under whose tenure the event took place, stated on social media that there is an attempt to spread misinformation regarding the organization and expenses of the Ayyappa Meet.
Prashanth clarified, “So far, a total of 3 crore rupees have been spent on the event. This entire amount was obtained through sponsorship, including an additional 1 crore rupees received as extra sponsorship.”
He also called for clarity regarding the logistics and payment discrepancies. Both leaders reiterated that the complete financial details of the Ayyappa Meet should be accessible to the public. They emphasized that citizens have the right to know the truth and questioned whether there were any disagreements between the minister and the Devaswom Board regarding the management of the event’s finances.
In conclusion, Prashanth reiterated on social media that there is an effort to misrepresent the organization and expenses of the Ayyappa Meet. He reiterated that the total expenditure so far stands at 3 crore rupees, all sourced from sponsorships, including an additional 1 crore rupees.
