Govt, Hindu outfits decry Marxists' take on temple wealth –21.9.11

VR JAYARAJ
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

The Kerala Government, the Congress party and Hindu organisations have rejected the CPI(M) theory that the amazing collection of treasures found in the secret cellars of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram are public wealth that should be managed by a committee containing nominees of political parties.
According to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the treasures belonged to the temple itself. State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala said that atheists, “who could say anything“, need not bother about management of wealth belonging to places of worship.
Hindu outfits complained that the CPI(M) theory amounted to humiliation of believers.
On Monday, State CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had announced the party view on the temple treasures saying that they were public wealth and there should be a panel constituted on the lines of the Devaswom committee administering the Lord Krishna temple of Guruvayur for their democratic management.
After a meeting of the State Cabinet in Thiruvanan thapuram on Tuesday, Chief Minister Chandy said, “I am of the view that the treasures found in the vaults of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple are assets of the temple itself. ”
He said that he was not in agreement with the idea of a Guruvayur-model committee for the Thiruvananthapuram shrine. However, Chandy said the decision of the Supreme Court, which was presently looking into the matter, would be final in this issue. “Pinarayi can express his opinions just as I can. The Supreme Court, which is the last word in the country with regard to laws, is not going to block anyone from expressing personal opinions, ” he said.
“Pinarayi is saying that the treasure found in the temple is public wealth. After all, what right does he have to speak of public wealth when his party is indulging in destruction of public property?” he asked referring to the ongoing Leftist agitations in Thiruvananthapuram and elsewhere in which Government vehicles and offices were being damaged.
According to State Congress chief Chennithala, his party wanted priority to be given to the wish of the believers and worshippers while taking decisions on the treasures found at the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple.
He said atheists need not look into matters over which they had no interest or say.
“In a general sense, one may argue that the wealth found in the temple is public property. But there are certain regulations in this country as far as its management is con
cerned. In that matter, the sentiment of the worshippers should be safeguarded,” Chennithala said. The value of the treasures found in the temple cellars is put roughly at over `1,00,000 crore.
Reiterating that the treasures belonged to the temple alone, Hindu Aikya Vedi general secretary Kummanam Rajasekharan said that Pinarayi’s statement was in effect an infringement on the rights of the believers as well as a humiliation to them. He said there should be permanent treasures to protect the treasures as temple property.
“The bid by Pinarayi and company to (make the Government) take over the temple wealth to be annexed to the Exchequer is violation of religious freedom as guaranteed in the Constitution. To hand over the rights of administration of this wealth to a Devaswom committee is equivalent to giving total authority on it to nominees of political parties, ” Kummanam alleged.