Kerala Minister defends turnout at Global Ayyappa Sangamam amid empty seat visuals

Kottayam, Sep 21 (IANS) As visuals of empty chairs from the Global Ayyappa Sangamam began circulating on television channels and social media, Kerala Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan on Sunday offered an explanation, dismissing the criticism as misleading and politically motivated.

The minister clarified that the one-day spiritual and cultural conference, held in Kottayam, saw a total participation of 4,126 devotees and dignitaries. Of these, 2,125 came from outside Kerala, representing states such as Maharashtra, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. A further 182 participants arrived from abroad, including 39 from Sri Lanka. In addition, 1,119 Ayyappa devotees travelled in vehicles arranged by various devaswom boards in the state.

Explaining the images of vacant chairs, Vasavan said the main venue itself had a seating capacity of 4,000, which was filled during the inaugural session. “Hundreds who arrived for the opening could not be accommodated inside and had to stand. After the inaugural ceremony, many participants moved to other halls to attend parallel panel discussions. The empty seats that appeared in visuals were simply the result of invitees shifting to their respective venues,” he said.

The minister criticised the circulation of photographs showing empty chairs, arguing that they were being used to paint a false picture of the event.

“Only those specifically invited to the main session remained there. The visuals being shared are from a short interval after the inaugural function, and they are being misused to spread misleading narratives,” he added.

Vasavan further underlined that the conference was entirely complaint-free. He noted that even a senior Congress leader from Karnataka, who attended the programme, had not raised any concerns about the arrangements.

“The event was smooth, well-organised, and a grand success. Participation exceeded expectations, and no one who attended went back dissatisfied,” he said.

Echoing CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan’s criticism of the media, the minister accused certain outlets of deliberately attempting to tarnish the image of the Global Ayyappa Sangamam. In reality, he insisted, the conference achieved its goal of bringing together devotees from across India and abroad in a unique spiritual congregation.

--IANS

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