Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 8 (NationPress) The Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V. D. Satheesan, called on Wednesday for former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran and the CPI(M) to disclose the identity of the buyer of the gold Dwarapalaka plates that were once part of the Sabarimala temple.

"The idol was sold to a billionaire, the doors and wooden steps were taken away, leaving only the Ayyappa idol. Their objective was to remove that too," the Opposition leader asserted.

This outburst occurred during a contentious session in the Kerala Assembly, where Opposition members accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of intentionally provoking them while protecting those implicated in the alleged temple property theft.

They argued that the Chief Minister, who had been silent on the issue for months, finally addressed it in a manner that seemed to favor the alleged looters.

The dispute centers around claims that the Dwarapalaka idol from the temple was sold to a billionaire and that the gold plating was chemically stripped and substituted with copper.

Opposition leaders demanded transparency and accountability, insisting on the resignation of the Devaswom Minister V. N. Vasavan and the disbanding of the Devaswom Board.

The ongoing protest has paralyzed Assembly activities for three consecutive days, intensifying on Wednesday.

"The Chief Minister's inaction against those accused of looting temple property is intolerable. We will escalate this fight with even greater determination," the Opposition emphasized, highlighting the political and religious implications of the situation.

Later, Satheesan criticized CM Vijayan for making an inappropriate remark about a person of short stature during his speech.

"Does the Chief Minister harbor a bias against shorter individuals? Why single out those of shorter stature?"

The Opposition labeled this as body shaming and politically inappropriate.

They demanded that the Chief Minister retract the statement, apologize, and have it expunged from the Assembly records.

Such remarks, the Opposition asserted, have been frequently made by Vasavan.

In a jab at the Congress party, Vasavan remarked that the Congress, once as prominent as Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, has now dwindled to the size of Mollywood actor Indrans.

"Though Indrans is a respected actor, Vasavan later retracted his statement and apologized. Similarly, the Opposition insisted the Chief Minister must apologize for mocking short stature," Satheesan stated.

"Parliamentary Affairs Minister M.B. Rajesh also made comments regarding Congress MLA Uma Thomas, implying she was being used as a shield by the UDF. The Opposition called for these remarks to be rescinded, asserting that neither the Chief Minister nor the Parliamentary Affairs Minister should have made such statements regarding Uma Thomas’ health," he remarked.

The Opposition further condemned these statements as outdated and regressive, questioning the leaders' awareness of modern sensibilities.

"Those who profess to be progressive are still making such remarks today. Does the Chief Minister possess a yardstick for how tall a person should be? Such incidents could happen to anyone. It seems these leaders are stuck in 19th-century Spain," Satheesan concluded.