Sabarimala gold theft: Arrested Vijayakumar’s statement puts CPM in tight spot

The political ground beneath the ruling CPI(M) has begun to shift uneasily following the arrest of senior party activist and former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) member N. Vijayakumar in the Sabarimala gold heist case. His statement to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), recorded soon after his arrest, has cast a long and troubling shadow over the party’s claims of moral high ground.

Vijayakumar told investigators that he appended his signature to crucial documents linked to the controversial gold-plating works only after receiving explicit instructions from “comrade” A. Padmakumar, the then TDB president. Padmakumar, a former CPI(M) MLA and Pathanamthitta district committee member, is now lodged in judicial custody and figures prominently in the remand report.

According to Vijayakumar, the reins of decision-making lay firmly with Padmakumar, who placed the proposal for renewing the gold plating before the Devaswom Board. Trusting his senior colleague, Vijayakumar claimed he signed the papers without even reading them, an admission that has deepened the sense of institutional failure surrounding the case.

He further told the SIT that he chose to surrender voluntarily, fearing that remaining at large would only compound the embarrassment for the government.

The remand report itself is scathing. It accuses Vijayakumar of failing to discharge his official responsibilities and of colluding with other accused to extend undue benefits, thereby inflicting financial loss on the Devaswom Board. He now stands as the 12th accused in the gold-sheet case and the 15th accused in the Dwarapalaka sculpture case, underscoring the expanding scope and gravity of the investigation.

Yet, it is the political fallout that appears most damaging. Vijayakumar’s statement emerged just hours after CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan reiterated the party’s refusal to suspend Padmakumar, citing the ongoing nature of the probe. That stance has drawn sharp criticism, particularly as Padmakumar remains behind bars in a case involving alleged large-scale financial irregularities at Sabarimala, one of Kerala’s most revered religious institutions.

For a party that has long fashioned itself as the custodian of probity in public life — and has been quick to assail rivals over corruption — the continued defence of Padmakumar is increasingly being viewed as untenable. Even among Left-leaning political circles, there is a growing acknowledgment that the episode has eroded the CPI(M)’s moral authority.

The controversy is also widely believed to have weighed on the party’s recent electoral fortunes, contributing to its subdued performance in the local body polls, where it appeared defensive and reactive rather than resolute.

As the SIT probe presses on and more disclosures come to light, the Sabarimala gold heist case threatens to remain a festering liability for the CPI(M), both legally and politically — an uncomfortable burden as the state inches closer to Assembly elections.

With IANS inputs