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	All Godmen Are Fake, Says Kerala Minister The Times of India May 17, 2008 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/All_godmen_are_fake_Kerala_minister/articleshow/3048495.cms [with link to video] NEW DELHI: Religious figures across Kerala are up in arms against Devasom minister G Sudhakaran, after he pointed a finger at all godmen in state, labelling them as fake, according to a Times Now report. ( Watch ) Days after controversial godman Santosh Madhavan was arrested for molesting a minor and on charges of fraud, Kerala's Devasom minister G Sudkaran lashed out at godmen in a manner that is threatening to escalate into a huge row. While attending a public function in the state, the outspoken minister labelled all swamis as "frauds". "We should make these swamis wear clothes. They should start wearing clothes and we should teach them some decency... I am still saying that 90 per cent of them are all thieves and they are all fit to go to jails," he said. Self-proclaimed spiritual groups in the state are not too pleased with this attack; the Devasom minister's comment they feel, is not only unwarranted but also in poor taste. "These statements don't need any reply... How can a minister say that 90 per cent of the saints are not wearing their underwear? How did he know that? I shall not reply to those statements. I seriously think that these are immature and childish statements. These are emotive statements that are not factual at all," declared Rahul Easwar spokesperson of the Sabarimala temple's chief priest. Santosh Madhavan the 'fake godman' stands exposed today. But the controversy and debate over the credibility of godmen and sanyasis continues in 'God's own country', with a section of the people even saying that all godmen should now be brought under some sort of scanner or public scrutiny. While Sudhakaran's comment has spiritual groups up in arms, their leaders feel that the atheist Communist Government in Kerala is only using the fake godman controversy to undermine the significance of godmen and swamis altogether.
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