Tuesday’s ‘Ayyappa Jyoti’ demonstration by Kerala BJP turned Cliff House into a battleground, with president Rajiv Chandrasekhar insisting CM Pinarayi Vijayan atone to Lord Ayyappa for fumbling the Sabarimala gold theft case.
Lamps flickered as protesters voiced outrage, branding the tantri’s detention politically driven and proof-thin. Courts had flagged insufficient evidence, yet arrests proceeded, allegedly to shield government insiders per BJP.
Accusations flew at the SIT for favoring Devaswom Minister, using the priest as a pawn to obscure the heist’s magnitude. Chandrasekhar framed it as a smokescreen for elite protectors.
The party’s manifesto included CBI-led scrutiny, affidavit withdrawal from Supreme Court, and nullifying ‘malicious’ devotee cases. Middlemen straddling CPI(M)-Congress lines were blamed for probe pollution.
Supreme Court weighed in, asking about leftover temple gold in a bail context for accused Pankaj Bhandari, with hearings set for March 9. Thirteen nabbed, six freed on bail—yet the saga drags.
Amid Sabarimala’s spiritual aura, this uproar signals BJP’s strategy to champion Hindu sentiments, challenging the ruling dispensation’s credibility on faith matters.