THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day that would ordinarily have marked a routine transition at the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has instead triggered unease in Kerala’s ruling establishment as the Sabarimala gold heist shadow looms large over the proceedings.
As veteran, now retired bureaucrat K. Jayakumar assumes charge as the new TDB president on Saturday, shockwaves from the ongoing probe into the Sabarimala gold heist have unsettled the CPI(M)’s top brass, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The arrest of five people earlier this week, culminating in the dramatic detention of N. Vasu — a two-time former Devaswom Commissioner, former TDB president and long-time confidant of CM Vijayan — has pushed the party into an uncomfortable defensive posture.