Travancore Devaswom Board fails to take up priest's issue

Alappuzha: The Travancore Devaswom Board did not take up the controversial issue of Mr Sudhikumar, the non-Brahmin priest, on Monday as the  board president and members were attending a meeting on Sabarimala master plan at Government Guest Houses, Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram. It may be recalled that the board had asked Mr Sudhikumar to give a written application indicating his willingness to serve in the Chettikulangara temple. He was also asked to appear before the TDB headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. 

His transfer to the temple as assistant priest had kicked up a controversy after the  order was stalled by the authorities on the ground that he was non-Brahmin. Mr Sudhikumar told DC that though he had given a written appeal to the devaswom board secretary, he had received no reply.   “I have written in the appeal that I wished to serve in the  Chettikulangara temple,” he said. Mr Prayar Gopalakrishnan, TDB president,  said that a  decision may be taken on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Mr K. Raghavan,  TDB  member,  said that the final decision has to be taken by the president and member Ajay Tharayil (both are Congress  nominees).  “My stand is that Sudhikumar should be appointed  to the Chettikulangara temple,”  he said.   Meanwhile, the Kerala Kamaraj Congress workers led by its president Vishnupuram Chandrasekaran  stopped Mr Gopalakrishnan and members in front of the Thycaud guest house in support of Mr Sudhikumar  late in the evening on Monday.   They withdrew the protest after the TDB president promised to decide the matter on  Tuesday.