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Case against creators of parody set to the tune of Ayyappa devotional for hurting religious sentiments

The Thiruvabharana Patha Samrakshana Samiti had petitioned the State Police Chief. CPI(M) to move Election Commission against UDF’s alleged bid to use religious symbols to create tensions between people of different faiths for electoral dividends

Updated - December 17, 2025

The Kerala Police have indicted the creators and broadcasters of a political parody song set to the tune of a popular Ayyappa devotional song, which was used as a campaign song by the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the local body elections, for hurting religious sentiments and stoking enmity between different groups of people.

The Thiruvabharana Patha Samrakshana Samiti, an organisation closely associated with the tradition of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, had petitioned State Police Chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar, accusing the artistes and those who used the “derisive” song of wilfully trespassing on faith and hurting the religious sentiments of lakhs of devotees. 

Officials said the Crime Branch had conducted a preliminary investigation and found the complaint revealed a cognisable offence. 

The song weaves lyrics lampooning the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government over the Sabarimala gold theft scandal in the tune of a catchy devotional melody profoundly familiar to Ayyappa devotees.

CPI(M) to move EC

Matters took a sharp political turn when Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Pathanamthitta district secretary Raju Abraham endorsed the complaint. He accused the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) of using the song to polarise communities on religious lines at the polling booth. He said the CPI(M) would move the Election Commission of India (EC) against the UDF’s alleged bid to use religious symbols to create tensions between people of different faiths for electoral dividends.

CPI(M) leader A.A. Rahim, MP, claimed that the Opposition added insult to injury by rendering the “offending” song outside Parliament. He said the LDF would highlight the UDF’s alleged trespass on the Ayyappa faith at the national level.

Congress repose

In a post on Facebook, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) vice-president V.T. Balram accused the CPI(M) of weaponising the artists’ identities to stoke communal resentment. He wrote that the CPI(M), resentful of the government’s humbling defeat in the local body polls, was treading a perilous path by injecting communal venom into a run-of-the-mill political parody piece.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan riposted that the CPI(M) outmatched the Sangh Parivar in driving divisive religious majoritarian sentiment by casting a harmless parody song as a slur on the Ayyappa faith. He said the CPI(M) had borrowed memorable devotional song tunes to lampoon political rivals in the past.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal, MP, said the CPI(M) lacked grace in defeat and was creating controversy for political face-saving.