Government organising Ayyappa Sangamam while failing to safeguard Sabarimala gold: K.C. Venugopal

Ridiculing the State government, K.C. Venugopal, MP, has said that a government which could not even safeguard the gold offerings received at Sabarimala is now organising the Global Ayyappa Sangamam.

Speaking to the media in Alappuzha on Saturday, he said the sangamam was nothing but hypocrisy on the part of the government.

“It was they who violated traditions, turned Sabarimala into a battlefield, and caused pain to devotees. History makes that clear. Now, with the local body elections approaching, they have come up with the idea of holding an Ayyappa sangamam. This is clearly aimed at elections, not an expression of love towards Lord Ayyappa or his devotees,” Mr. Venugopal said.

The Congress leader said that on the matter of the sangamam, both the government and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) were misleading the Kerala High Court. “They say one thing in court and act in the exact opposite way outside. After first claiming that the sangamam was a programme of the TDB, it was the government that went on to invite everyone, and it is the government that is spending the money for it. Let them first find the missing gold before talking about such programmes,” Mr. Venugopal said.

He said the Union government should sanction an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for Kerala in Alappuzha district. “It is the BJP government that has to make the announcement. Kerala is the only State yet to receive an AIIMS, even after all these years. Each time this demand is raised in Parliament, assurances are given, but the sanction never comes. This is nothing but neglect. Alappuzha, which faces many challenges, including water-borne diseases, is in urgent need of advanced health-care facilities. The Union government has already stated that if the State demands it, an AIIMS will be sanctioned for Alappuzha. That promise must be honoured,” Mr. Venugopal said.

The Alappuzha MP said that he had already written to the Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, pointing out three suitable plots of land for setting up AIIMS. “All three are government-owned lands, and there will be no other hurdles,” Mr. Venugopal said.