ALAPPUZHA: Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samithy (JSS) leader K.R. Gouri has said that the Devaswom ordinance promulgated by the State Government recently may meet the fate of the Kerala Professional Colleges Act.

Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, the former Minister said the ordinance would not pass judicial scrutiny. According to her, the Kerala Public Service Commission would be made the recruiting agency for postings in Devaswoms. If the Commission recruited candidates, candidates from all religions could apply and if they were appointed in temples, it would lead to problems, she said.

Ms. Gouri alleged that the Government was eyeing temples founded by Sree Narayana Guru in Malabar with the aim of acquiring their wealth. Would the Government take over temples like Attukal and Chakkulathu Kavu, she asked.

She alleged that the LDG Government was trying to pitch various communities against each other and the latest fight between the NSS and the SNDP was an outcome of that attempt.

She said the Government's dictates to banks on interest rates would not have any effect as it had no power to do so. The Government was overstepping its limits and that gave rise to the doubt whether it was trying to hoodwink the people through its self-proclaimed progressive legislations.

Ms. Gouri said the Government had failed completely on all fronts. There was shortage of essential commodities in the State and the Chief Minister's attempts to solve it had failed. The police were acting in a most partisan manner. The CPI(M) cadres were attacking those policemen who disobeyed them, she said.

On the row over whether Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had offered pujas at Kadambuzha temple, Ms. Gouri said everyone had the right to pursue one's beliefs. "What is wrong in Kodiyeri offering pujas, if he wanted?"

Mrs. Gouri said she was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna from her childhood, though she rarely went to temples.

Pinarayi flayed

Commenting on CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan's statement that those who left the Communist party were practically dead bodies, Ms. Gouri said, that might be right in the case of Mr. Vijayan but not in the case of leaders like her. "We have suffered torture and undergone untold miseries to build up the party." The benefits of the past struggles were being enjoyed by people like him.

After the early days certain `godmen' rose to the helm of power in the CPI(M) and cadres had to obey whatever they said, Ms. Gouri said and added that she was ousted as she dared to question them.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu