Outspoken Congress leader Shashi Tharoor defended the Travancore royals, saying they are 'safe-keepers of the colossal wealth'

The outspoken Member of Parliament fromu00a0 Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor believes that the treasure trove found in the Kerala's Padmanabhaswamy temple must be kept within its premises and that the Travancore royals were the safe keepers of the massive wealth.


In safe custody: Tharoor said that the royals of Travancoreu00a0 were the
safe keepers of the massive wealth. Pic/Satish Badigeru00a0

Excerpts from the interview:
Since you represent the Thiruvananthapuram constituency what is your opinion about the SC's direction on the treasure issue, when the Travancore royal family is also cooperating with this decision?
I met the Royal family this morning, and I applaud them for having saved such a large amount of wealth since the time of colonial rule. The Maharaja of Travancore was the ruler on behalf of the lord.


Fortune: A treasure estimated to be worth over Rs 90,000 crore has
been found from the cellars of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala

There is a belief among the Hindu proponents, about the awakening of a bad omen, since the treasure was brought out from inside temple premises. Is that why the authorities were against opening the vault?
There is no question as such; the only concern is that by opening the closed vault number six, the temple infrastructure should not be damaged. We are in fact waiting for the judgment, which is expected to come very soon.