‘I’m a theist; I never expected I would be considered; offer is at an odd time’ 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former chief secretary K Jayakumar said his appointment as the president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) is considered as a destiny. This offer is at an odd time. I am a theist. I never expected that I would be considered, he added. He said that he will hold talks with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today.

‘Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan had informed me yesterday about the appointment as the president of the board. Met the minister in Thrissur. I think the order will be issued on Monday. The mandala and makaravilakku season will start on November 17. Will take charge as soon as the order is received. The priority will be to complete the two-month-long pilgrimage in a smooth manner.

The present board may have started the preparations. Will create a situation for a hassle-free darshan for the devotees. If the waiting time, cleanliness and other basic facilities are smooth, the problems will reduce. There is no concern in taking over the post. I don’t think there are thorns in every crown. It depends on how it is placed. Legal changes will be considered to prevent things like what happened now from recurring in the future,' said Jayakumar.

K Jayakumar was chosen as the president of the board at the CPM state secretariat meeting convened yesterday. The decision to make someone from outside politics the president comes in the wake of the high court's remarks against the present board president and others in the Sabarimala gold theft case.

The aim is also to eradicate the stain caused by the gold theft in Sabarimala. The secretariat meeting had assessed that it would be beneficial for someone as experienced as Jayakumar to become the president at this stage. CPI state committee member Vilappil Radhakrishnan will also be appointed as a board member.

Jayakumar is presently the director of the Institute of Management in Government (IMD). When the TDB was left without a president, Jayakumar had served as the devaswom commissioner and acting president in 2009 due to the change of administration in the state. He was the Sabarimala master plan chairman and Sabarimala special officer. He had served many posts including tourism secretary and vice chancellor of the Malayalam University. He is a film lyricist, writer and painter. He is the son of M Krishnan Nair, a famous Malayalam and Tamil film director.