The arrest of N Vasu,former Devaswom Commissioner and president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), is being considered as a severe blow to ruling CPM in Kerala.
Vasu, who was close to CPM leadership, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday for his alleged involvement in the disappearance of the gold from the Sanctum Sanctorum of door frames of the Sabarimala temple in 2019.
Since only Devaswom officials have been arrested so far in connection with the case, the LDF government and the CPM will not have to bear the political burden of the Sabarimala temple gold loot. But now Vasu’s arrest in the ongoing Sabarimala temple missing gold case has undermined the party’s previous defence strategies and invited significant political criticism. The arrest of the well-connected party figure has dismantled the CPM’s earlier stance of blaming lower-level Devaswom officials for the gold heist.
The arrest is a setback to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other CPM leaders who claimed that the TDB under the CPM leaders has no role in the Sabarimala temple gold looting. It is a matter of great concern for the Left party that the arrest of Vasu came at a time when the state is going for local body polls in the next month and later assembly polls in April/ May 2026.
It is said Vasu is not someone who the CPM can easily dismiss. It is reported that Vijayan reached AKG Centre, after he received information that Vasu would be arrested. This shows the seriousness of the matter.
The party is now looking for strategies to prevent the Sabarimala gold heist from causing serious damages to the party.
The SIT has to speed up its investigation in the case, as the six-week time limit set by the Kerala High Court to complete the probe will end next week. The question now is whether former TDB president Padmakumar, a prominent CPM leader, may also be implicated in the case.