Wed Oct 08 15:58:06 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text, summarizing the situation and written in a news style:
**Headline: Political Storm Brews in Kerala Over Sabarimala Temple Gold Scandal**
**Thiruvananthapuram, October 8, 2025** – Kerala is embroiled in a political crisis as both the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensify their protests over alleged misappropriation of gold at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. The parties are demanding the resignations of Devaswom Minister V. N. Vasavan and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P. S. Prasanth, accusing them of complicity in the sale of valuable temple artifacts.
The controversy centers around the alleged replacement of gold-plated copper engravings covering stone carvings and sculptures at the temple with cheaper replicas. The BJP alleges that the original artifacts were sold to wealthy collectors for private worship.
Scores of BJP workers marched on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s official residence in Thiruvananthapuram, calling for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the matter. BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar outlined the party’s key demands: the resignations of Vasavan and Prasanth, a CBI investigation due to the case’s inter-state implications and public distrust of the local police, and the release of the TDB’s internal audit records, including a complete inventory of temple donations received since 1999.
Chandrasekhar criticized the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, claiming it has consistently undermined the interests of Hindu devotees and Hindu places of worship. He questioned the government’s control over Hindu temples, contrasting it with the lack of similar intervention in the management of other religious institutions.
Meanwhile, Congress-led protests disrupted the state assembly and spilled onto the streets in several districts, including Mavelikara and Kannur. Youth Congress workers in Kannur were arrested after scaling the perimeter wall of the District Collector’s office as part of their demonstration.
Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan has also implicated former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran in the controversy, alleging that the TDB entrusted a well-connected temple helper with the repair of the “Dwarapalaka” sculptures. Satheesan argued that the government must prosecute those responsible for replacing the gold-plated coverings with copper and selling the original artifacts. Surendran has since denied these accusations.
The escalating protests threaten to destabilize the LDF government and further polarize the political landscape in Kerala. The outcome of the demanded CBI investigation and the government’s response will be closely watched in the coming days.
First Piper 