Kerala: Shashi Tharoor prevented from entering when PM Modi offered prayers at Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the centuries-old Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, known as one of the 108 'divyadesams' of Lord Vishnu in Kerala on Tuesday, but Congress MP Shashi Tharoor alleged that he wasn’t allowed to go in with the PM because his name was removed from the list of people allowed to enter.

He alleged that he, along with the local MLA and mayor, were not allowed to enter the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple with Prime Minister Narendra Modi even though Governor Justice P Sathasivam and state Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran accompanied Modi inside the shrine on Tuesday, January 15.

He tweeted about the same and said, “Received Prime Minister @narendramodi at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram for the unveiling of a plaque of the Swadesh Darshan project. But when the local MP, MLA & Mayor were to enter the temple wihim for darshan, we learned that @PMOIndia had cut us from the list.”

In another tweet Shashi Tharoor also said, “It seems that under the BJP even God must serve a political purpose and members of other parties must not be allowed to worship in the Prime ministerial presence!”

Narendra Modi, entered the sprawling shrine through the eastern entrance, spent about 20 minutes there. Before the darshan, Modi inaugurated the multi-crore developmental works carried out at the shrine as part of the union government's flagship Swadesh Darshan Scheme, which is aimed at developing the basic facilities in and around religious institutions across the country.

He unveiled at the east gate, a plaque on the project "Development of Spiritual Circuit: Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple-Aranmula-Sabarimala", being implemented under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the union tourism ministry.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Minister of State for Tourism, Alphons Kannanthanam and Shashi Tharoor, MP, were among those present during the occasion.

Officials said that under the Swadesh Darshan project, the Ministry of Tourism had sanctioned ₹92.22 crores during 2016-17 and a majority of the work under this project was carried out at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple.

The construction of the heritage walk footpath, bio toilets and bathrooms, renovation of the Padmatheertham temple tank, electrification and setting up of security systems have been completed at the shrine, dedicated to Lord Padmanabha, under the initiative.

Recognising the tourism potential of the state, the Centre has sanctioned seven projects in Kerala under the Swadesh Darshan and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) schemes for about ₹550 crore.

with inputs from PTI