Sabarimala gold theft: Arrested Vijayakumar’s statement puts CPI(M) in tight spot
Thiruvananthapuram: The statement given by senior CPI(M) activist and former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) member N. Vijayakumar, soon after his arrest by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Sabarimala gold heist case, has placed the ruling party in an increasingly uncomfortable position.
Vijayakumar told investigators on Monday that he signed key documents related to the controversial gold-plating works only after being instructed to do so by “comrade” A. Padmakumar, the then TDB president, who is now in judicial custody.
Padmakumar, a former CPI(M) MLA and a member of the party’s Pathanamthitta district committee, figures prominently in the remand report.
According to Vijayakumar’s statement, all major decisions were taken by Padmakumar, who presented the proposal for renewing the gold plating at a Devaswom Board meeting.
Trusting him, Vijayakumar said, he signed the papers without even reading the contents.
He also told the SIT that he chose to surrender as continuing to remain outside would have caused embarrassment to the government.
The remand report paints a grim picture. It states that Vijayakumar failed to properly discharge his official duties and colluded with other accused to provide undue benefits, causing financial loss to the Devaswom Board.
Vijayakumar is the 12th accused in the gold-sheet case and the 15th accused in the Dwarapalaka sculpture case, underlining the widening scope of the investigation.
The political fallout, however, may prove more damaging than the legal process itself. Vijayakumar’s statement came just hours after CPI(M) State Secretary M.V. Govindan once again defended the party’s decision not to suspend Padmakumar, arguing that the probe was still underway.
That position has invited sharp criticism, especially as Padmakumar remains in judicial custody in a case involving alleged large-scale financial irregularities at one of Kerala’s most sensitive religious institutions.
For a party that has long projected itself as the standard-bearer of probity in public life and routinely targets leaders of rival parties over corruption allegations, the continued defence of Padmakumar has begun to look increasingly untenable.
Even within political circles sympathetic to the Left, there is an admission that the handling of the case has eroded moral authority. The controversy is also widely seen as having contributed to the CPI(M)’s poor showing in the recent local body elections, where the party appeared defensive and reactive rather than decisive.
As the SIT probe progresses and more details emerge, the Sabarimala gold heist case threatens to remain a lingering liability for the CPI(M), both legally and politically, especially with the Assembly polls near.