Mata Amritanandamayi says the institution was an 'open book', dismisses allegations

Spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi on Saturday dismissed the allegations levelled against her mutt by one of her former disciples and said the institution was an "open book" and all its functions were transparent.

Speaking at its spiritual centre 'Bramasthan' in Palakkad district, she said the mutt has not done anything wrong and the allegations were without merit.

Reacting for the first time after a row broke out over the book written by Australian born Gail Tredwell, she said 'I never asked any one to serve me. I am serving others. My mutt is an open book. Its accounts are submitted to authorities regularly. The present controversy was part of an attempt to trigger communal tension, she said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy praised the services carried out by the mutt and said he did not think anything unlawful had happened at the mutt.

'I do not think anything took place in the mutt against the law of the land. People have to consider the services provided by the mutt to society and not the charges against it," he told reporters at Sulthan Batheri near Kozhikode.

'As one who has witnessed and participated in its services, it is not possible for the public to ignore the great services given by mutt', Chandy said.

However, CPI(M) State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan termed the charges as serious and demanded that the government conduct an inquiry into it. The charges were levelled by a former disciple and not an outsider. Transactions worth crores of rupees were being carried out in ashrams. Government should examine the transparency of such transactions, he added.

Tredwell in her book "Holy hell-- a memoir of faith, devotion and pure madness' claimed she had lived in the mutt for many years and had left after fed up with some bitter experiences.

Police had recently registered a case under the IT Act against some unknown persons who posted adverse comments in the social media based on the content of the book.

The case was registered at Karunagapally, close to Amritanandamayi's headquarters Amritapuri at Vallikkavu in Kollam district, based on complaints lodged by some of her devotees.

According to reports Tredwell joined mutt during its earlier years and left it in 1998-1999.

Her book was published six months back and the row triggered a few days ago after local media picked up certain excerpts from the book from a website.