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No political agenda: Sudhakaran

ON A MISSION: Devaswom Minister G. Sudhakaran takes the traditional trekking path to Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala on Saturday afternoon.

SABARIMALA: “The State Government has no political agenda in the Sabarimala affairs. Our sincere intention is to set things right at a national pilgrim centre such as Sabarimala where double the total population of the State visit in a short span of two months on an annual basis,” Devaswom Minister G. Sudhakaran says.

The Minister was talking to The Hindu during his three-day visit to Sabarimala on Saturday afternoon.

“I personally feel that it is high time the defects in the administration of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple were rectified and the interests of scores of Ayyappa devotees world over protected. A concerted effort, above all political differences, is what is needed and the government is bound to end corruption and commercialisation at Sabarimala, ensuring a foolproof pilgrim facility there.”

Mr. Sudhakaran said setting up of a Tirupati-model autonomous administrative body for Sabarimala was under the serious consideration of the government, with the sole intention of improving the temple administration and pilgrim facilities.

He said the proposed administrative body could be brought under the purview of the Devaswom Act and it would have representatives of the government, the judiciary and various other stakeholders, if it could improve the efficiency of the administrative mechanism. Mr. Sudhakaran said the Sabarimala master plan prepared by the Legislative Committee on Environment of 1998 too had recommended setting up of an independent administrative body on the lines of the Tirupati Devasthanam.

He said the former Devaswom Minister K.C. Venugopal, MLA, had welcomed the proposal and had extended his full support to the government. The Minister said the Devaswom authorities and officials should try to correct their flaws in the light of their experiences at Sabarimala and efforts should be made to improve the functioning of the machinery and not to divert public attention by creating controversies.

The Minister said he or the government “never intended to create any sort of controversy over Sabarimala or any other place of worship.” But vested interests were trying to create confusion and controversy by misinterpreting his “plain-truth” statements aimed at improving the temple administration and checking corruption.

“I personally have nothing against the TDB [Travancore Devaswom Board] members. I am true to myself and I cannot consciously sideline the defects I see in the TDB members appointed by me. … it is up to the people who have sent them to the temple administrative body to have self-introspection and take appropriate corrective measures,” Mr. Sudhakaran said.

He said the government was forced to intervene in the Sabarimala affairs when the TDB became irrelevant during the ‘aravana’ crisis. The crisis was resolved following the effective intervention of a senior IAS officer, K. Jayakumar, who was appointed Special Officer by the Government in the last lap of the Mandalapuja season.

He said the file signed by the Devaswom Minister for the appointment too was not spared of “redtapism” at the Secretariat, delaying the appointment by 12 days.

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