THRISSUR: Amal Mohammed, the NRI businessman who has won the auction of SUV Mahindra Thar offered to Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, has clarified that his action was motivated by the love towards Lord Guruvayurappan.
“It is certainly a luck to possess a car donated to Guruvayur temple as an offering, and that is why I participated in the auction,” Mohammed, who hails from Kochi and currently based in Bahrain, told TOI over phone.
“I had told the person (Subhash Panikker) who had attended the auction on my behalf that money was not an issue. The important thing was to get the vehicle donated to Guruvayur temple. He might have said that I had authorized him to quote an even higher amount out of sheer excitement. He need not have said that. On the other hand, there was no need to rake up a controversy over his words,” Mohammed said.
He said he was hopeful that the devaswom would hand over the SUV to him. “I had participated in the auction after complying with all the legal requirements, and I don’t expect the devaswom committee to take a different decision. I will have legal options if the vehicle is not handed over to me,” Mohammed said. Asked whether he had gone to Guruvayur before, Mohammed said, “I have gone to Guruvayur several times but haven’t entered the temple as non-Hindus are not permitted...I have respects for the saints of all religions, and I don’t have partisan feelings regarding faith.”
