Thiruvananthapuram, 03 Jan (H.S.): Kerala Minister for education and labour ,V. Sivankutty called for senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to be brought under the ambit of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged gold theft linked to Sabarimala, triggering a fresh political confrontation in the State.

Addressing the media, Mr. Sivankutty said emerging evidence pointed to what he described as “shocking and disturbing connections” between the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, and senior Congress leaders. He questioned how Potti, identified as the key accused in the case involving the alleged theft of gold associated with the Sabarimala temple, was able to gain access to Sonia Gandhi’s high-security residence.

Photographs reportedly showing meetings involving Unnikrishnan Potti, a jewellery owner, Sonia Gandhi, and Congress MP Adoor Prakash have stunned the public in Kerala, the minister said. “The Congress leadership must explain who facilitated the entry of these individuals into a highly protected zone. The sentiments of millions of devotees have been deeply hurt by the alleged theft of gold linked to Sabarimala,” he added.

Mr. Sivankutty alleged that during the United Democratic Front (UDF) government in 2004, Unnikrishnan Potti was appointed as a temple attendant owing to the “special interest” of Congress leaders. At the time, he said, the Devaswom Board was headed by Prayar Gopalakrishnan. He also pointed to alleged associations involving other individuals, including Ajay Tharayil, which, he said, warranted closer scrutiny by investigators.

The minister accused the Opposition of attempting to deliberately derail the SIT probe. According to him, unfounded allegations were being levelled against the Chief Minister’s Office out of fear that the investigation could expose the involvement of Congress leaders. “This is a conscious attempt to divert attention from the facts emerging in the case,” he said.

Mr. Sivankutty maintained that Sonia Gandhi’s statement regarding her meeting with Unnikrishnan Potti would be “crucial” to uncovering the alleged conspiracy. “The investigation must move forward without regard to position or stature. Sonia Gandhi should be questioned so that the truth behind this case comes out,” he asserted.

The controversy escalated after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently alleged that Unnikrishnan Potti’s first point of entry was Sonia Gandhi’s residence. At a press conference, the Chief Minister questioned how the name of Adoor Prakash figured in the episode and asked how alleged fraudsters could gain access to a leader of Sonia Gandhi’s stature, intensifying the political fallout from the case.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman