CPM leader's wife offered pooja: Temple trustee

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 7 (UNI) Sticking to their claim that Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's wife had visited the Kadampuzha Devi temple in Malappuram, and offered ''Poomoodal'' pooja, the temple authorities welcomed the Crime Branch probe announced by the Home Minister.

Talking to UNI over the phone from Kadampuzha, Temple trustee V Vijayakumar said, ''Mrs Balakrishnan had visited the temple before the Assembly elections and expressed her wish to offer a poomodal pooja.'' Mr Vijayakumar said since he did not know Mrs Balakrishnan personally, one of his friends introduced her as the wife of the CPI(M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, and extended all help in getting the ''poomoodal'' pooja in VIP quota, as the booking of the offering had been completed for 45 years.

''Personally I have no enmity with Mr Balakrishnan and he is one of the few persons that I respect and admire,' he said.

Welcoming the Crime Branch probe, he said the inquiry would not only help to bring out the truth, but also sustain the credibility of the temple, he added.

The temple executive officer had the discretion to allot ''poomoodal'' pooja to anybody, whether the person was a VIP or an ordinary man, he said.

The controversy triggered after a report in the latest issue of ''Janasakthi magazine'' said the senior CPI(M) leader had visited the temple and offered ''sathrusamhara pooja'' and ''poomoodal'' at the Kadampuzha Bhagavathy temple in Malappuram district. According to the magazine, the names of Balakrishnan and his son figure in the 'VIP list' of those, who had offered the pooja at the temple. While the list had addresses of all other VIPs, the addresses of Balakrishnan and his is given as Cheriyathu Thazhu, Thallassery. However, the magazine said there was no place like Cheriyathu Thazhu in Thallaserry.

Mr Vijayakumar rejected the claim of the weekly that another pooja was performed in the name of Mr Balakrishnan's son.

Meanwhile, another Balakrishnan, a teacher from Thalassery had revealed that he had performed the pooja and also produced a receipt issued by the temple authorities in this connection.

UNI