The ruling AIADMK became more isolated in Tamil Nadu as more and more parties questioned the decision of the Edappadi K Palaniswami Government to hand over the idol theft case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday. The DMK, the principal Opposition party has already expressed its shock over the move and described it as an effort to delay the probe. The idols disappeared from Tamil Nadu temples cost more than Rs 1,00,000 crore and the State could be an epicentre of one of the mega scams, said TR Ramesh, president, Temple Worshipers Society.
Tamilissai Sounderarajan, the Tamil Nadu BJP chief, who is known for her affability towards the AIADMK came down heavily on the Tamil Nadu Government for handing over the idol theft case to the CBI. “The Idol Theft wing of the Tamil Nadu Police led by IG Pon Manickavel was doing a good job and has solved some of the cases which took place long back.
They should be allowed to carry on with the investigation instead of bringing in the CBI at this juncture,” said Sounderarajan while speaking to reporters. The BJP sees the move as an effort to save some of the powerful and mighty people behind this crime, according to Thiruppati Narayanan, the spokesman of the party.
Meanwhile, Pon Manickavel told the Madras High Court on Friday that there were enough evidence to link the arrested M Kavitha, the additional commissioner of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department to the financial embezzlement in the Ekambareswarar Temple at Kancheepuram. Kavita had approached the court for bail.
The Hindu Front, an umbrella organisation too has criticised the move of the Tamil Nadu Government to bring in the CBI to investigate the idol theft case at this juncture. “Pon Manickavel, who is investigating the case, is doing a good work and the devotees are satisfied with his work.
He should be allowed to continue with the investigation,” Rama Gopalan, convenor, Hindu Front said in a release.
But Tamil Nadu Minister for Fisheries, D Jayakumar who is also the spokesman of the Government said the idol theft has international ramifications and hence the CBI should probe the matter. The Minister’s statement confirms the fears expressed by the devotees that a powerful coterie of businessmen, politicians, bureaucrats and police officers are behind the theft of ancient idols from the temples of the State. More than 7,000 ancient idols, most of them dating back to thousands of years and master pieces of art work in metal, have been stolen from the Government administered temples in Tami Nadu. Each of these idols command premium price in international markets.