Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 13
Allegations of large-scale financial irregularities in the conduct of the Global Ayyappa Meet linked to Sabarimala have triggered a fresh political storm, with senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan accusing Devaswom Minister V. N. Vasavan of misleading the Assembly and demanding detailed disclosures.
The much-hyped meeting was held last year and now the High Court too has come out strongly about its financial accountability.
Chennithala alleged that "massive fraud" was carried out under the guise of the Ayyappa meet and announced he will move a breach of privilege notice against the Minister for allegedly providing incorrect information in the Kerala Assembly.
The Assembly session will resume on February 23 and Chennithala is expected to move it during the ongoing session.
He claimed the Minister had stated that funds related to the event were handed over to the Devaswom Board, but the full amount had not been transferred.
"The government told the court that the event would not be conducted at government expense. But a different version was presented in the Assembly. Why are there two sets of figures before the Assembly and the High Court?" Chennithala asked, demanding a comprehensive clarification from both the government and the Devaswom Board.
Radhakrishnan echoed the charge, terming the event a "liability" for the government.
He said the Assembly record is considered an authoritative document and questioned why a truthful reply was not provided on the floor of the House.
"Why did two different accounts emerge before the Assembly and the High Court?" he asked, insisting that the government and the Board explain the discrepancy.
Chennithala also raised questions over the execution of the event, including how organisational responsibility was assigned and whether expenditure claims were inflated.
He alleged that bills were raised even for programmes that were not conducted and sought clarity on reported discrepancies in logistics and payments.
Both leaders maintained that the accounts and expenditure details of the Ayyappa meet must be made fully public.
"Citizens have the right to know the truth," they said, calling for a categorical response from the Devaswom Minister and clarity on whether differences exist between the Minister and the Devaswom Board over the handling of the event’s finances.
Reacting to the controversy, former TDB president P.S. Prasanth during whose tenure the event was held took to his social media account and pointed out that attempts are being made to spread misinformation regarding the organisational expenses of the Ayyappa Meet.
"So far, only Rs 3 crore has been spent for organising the event. This entire amount was received through sponsorship. An additional Rs 1 crore has also been obtained as sponsorship," Prasanth said.
"An advance of Rs 3 crore had been drawn under the head 'Religious Conferences and Discourses' for organisational purposes. However, immediately upon receiving the sponsorship funds, the amount was fully repaid on October 17, 2025. Apart from this, not even a single rupee has been spent from the Devaswom Board's funds to date," he said.
"With regard to the total expenditure, the Devaswom Commissioner, in an interim report submitted before the court on November 4, 2025, had stated that the total amount was Rs 4.5 crore plus GST," he said.
"Therefore, the basis on which the present report has been submitted needs to be examined. These details are open to verification by anyone," stated Prasanth.
Meanwhile the Board (a new one is in place) will soon hold a meeting to come out with explanations on the ongoing row.
