No devotee faced inconvenience during Guruvayur visit, says Kerala CM amid row

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesans visit to the famed Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple has triggered a row, with the BJP alleging violation of a Kerala High Court order regulating VIP darshan on holidays and inconvenience to ordinary devotees.In response, Satheesan dismissed it as a false story and said he had ensured that his darshan did not obstruct anyone.Addressing a press meet here, he said, There was no such incident there.

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan's visit to the famed Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple has triggered a row, with the BJP alleging violation of a Kerala High Court order regulating VIP darshan on holidays and inconvenience to ordinary devotees.

In response, Satheesan dismissed it as a ''false story'' and said he had ensured that his darshan did not obstruct anyone.

Addressing a press meet here, he said, ''There was no such incident there. Only four persons accompanied the Chief Minister.''.

Calling the reports ''baseless'', the CM said there was no VIP darshan on Sundays and he had entered the temple after taking a Rs 1,000 ticket.

''This is a false story. It is not the first time a chief minister is visiting Guruvayur temple. For the first time, just four people accompanied the chief minister. One among them was the temple administrator and the only official with me was a gunman,'' he said.

Replying to a question, Satheesan said he stood aside and prayed while other devotees continued to move freely through the temple.

''When the 'seeveli' ritual was going on, I stood in front. After it passed, I offered prayers. When I went to visit the sub-deities, a Devaswom security guard stopped the devotees. I told them they should not be stopped because my prayer should not become an inconvenience to others,'' he said.

Not even a single person was inconvenienced, he said.

The CM further claimed that many devotees who were present appreciated the manner in which the visit was conducted.

''People there told me this is how it should always be. They said they were surprised to see a Chief Minister praying without any distance from the devotees,'' Satheesan said.

The chief minister also said he was aware that the visit could trigger controversy.

''I knew this would become a controversy. Please don't say that I should stop visiting temples,'' he remarked.

The controversy erupted after BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan alleged that Satheesan's visit to the famed Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple on Sunday violated a Kerala High Court order regulating VIP darshan on holidays and caused inconvenience to ordinary devotees.

Satheesan had offered prayers at the temple and performed the traditional 'tulabharam' ritual before attending the wedding ceremony of Revenue Minister A P Anil Kumar's son at the temple premises.

In a complaint before the Guruvayur Devaswom authorities, Gopalakrishnan alleged that the chief minister and his entourage were granted VIP darshan during prohibited hours without taking the mandatory ''Sreekovil Neyvilakku'' receipt required for special darshan on holidays.

In a Facebook post on May 24, he alleged that the HC had barred VIP darshan on Sundays between 6 am and noon and also prohibited videography and photography around the temple premises, including near the Melpathur Auditorium.

He also claimed that Congress MP Hibi Eden and others recorded videos near the temple premises in violation of court directions.

However, the Guruvayur Devaswom rejected the allegations and clarified in a Facebook post on Monday that Satheesan had availed the darshan after taking the ''Sreekovil Neyvilakku'' receipt as required under the rules for holidays.

Reacting to the row, Guruvayur Devaswom chairman A V Gopinath also said prima facie there did not appear to be any violation by the chief minister and his team, though complaints regarding inconvenience to devotees would be examined.