Devaswom Minister did not take part in any TDB meetings: Vasavan

Even as the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) continued its protest inside and outside the Assembly over the alleged Sabarimala gold theft, four Congress MLAs on Wednesday raised questions demanding the details of Travancore Devaswom Board meetings in which the Devaswom Minister participated.

However, as per the Devaswom Minister V. N. Vasavan’s reply, the Minister did not take part in any meeting as he is not legally allowed to take part in board meetings, in which only board members can participate. Congress MLA Roji M.John sought the details of the meetings of the Devaswom Board from 2016 to 2021 in which the then Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran took part, while Eldhose Kunnappilly demanded the minutes of the Board meetings during the same period. MLAs K.Babu and C.R.Mahesh sought similar details from 2021 onwards, during the tenure of the current Devaswom Minister V.N.Vasavan. As per Mr.Vasavan’s reply, the Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious. Institutions Act, 1950 stipulates that only Devaswom Board members can take part in board meetings, which means that the Devaswom Minister cannot legally take part in such meetings. The Minister gave a similar reply to all four questions which have been submitted separately. Later in the day, former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, whose resignation the UDF has been demanding over the past many weeks, posted in his social media pages the replies given to the four Congress MLAs, indicating it as a vindication of his stand.