Kochi, 24 September(HS): The unholy and illegitimate ties between the ruling CPI(M) and the opposition Congress came out in public in Kerala on Wednesday with the local leaders of these parties filing criminal cases against the highly venerated Sakthi Santhananda Maharshi, the pontiff of Sree Rama Dasa Mission at Thiruvananthapuram for “hate speech” which the monk delivered during Tuesday’s Ayyappa Samrakshana Samgamam at Pandalam.

The criminal complaint was filed by district leaders of the CPI(M) and Congress against the Pontiff for “trying to create hatred among Hindu and Muslim communities”. The Maharshi, in his presidential address to the mammoth delegates, has said that the Vavar temple adjacent to the holy shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala is the result of the distortion of history.

“It is Vapura Temple and has been erected as a mark of respect to Vapura, an expert army commander of Lord Shiva. The name Vavar is a travesty of truth. The followers of Islam are yet to recognise Vavar because they are against idol worship,” said the Pontiff.

He also pointed out that all films made in Kerala (Swamy Ayyappa, Ayyappa & Vavar) portray Vavar as a pirate who came to defeat Lord Ayyappa. But his army defeated and drove away the pirates.

“The Muslim outfits in Kerala have not reacted to the comments made by me because they are against the concept of Vavar. The political leaders are the ones who got upset because we pointed out the truth, “ said the Pontiff, reacting to the police complaint filed by the Marxists and Congress against him.

“There are 23 Muslim families near the holy shrine who squeeze the devotees for money and materials and they take it home. The Vavar temple is a money spinner for them,” said Sakthi Santhananda Maharshi.

The CPI(M), which organized Monday’s Global Ayyappa Samgamam, was taken aback as the devotees ignored their call to attend the same. But Tuesday’s Ayyappa Samtrakshana Samgamam turned out to be a major success because of the number of devotees as well as the intelligentsia who gathered in numbers.

Hindusthan Samachar / Manohar Yadavatti