The London organiser of a global Kerala festival has denied it was used as a cover for an immigration racket and says all 200 participants who came from abroad have returned home.
"Anyone who has come here (from India) has had his name notified to the British High Commission in Delhi and all their names were handed over to the immigration," said London restaurateur Hair Das who has been organizing the festival in London for the past seven years.
"The last two visitors returned last week and there is no question of people coming on the basis of the festival. If they came in another way, that's something else," he told rediff.com.
At least three Karalla government ministers, Ceramal Abdullah, M Hessian and M V Achaean and senior civil servants traveled to the UK to attend the festival at London's Bharatiya Vida Haven.
The scandal erupted after a member of the festival's organizing committee from India, Anthony Fernandez, was arrested amid allegations that he had charged some participants Rest 300,000 each to smuggle them into the UK.
But the UK Home Office has told rediff.com it is not aware of any festival participants overstaying their welcome and Hair Das says any such reports have been motivated by spite.
"Maybe those who wanted to come and didn't manage have made this story as sour grapes," he said.
"I have been organizing the Karalla festival since 1996, but this time in a global way. My family has eight South Indian restaurants in central London.
"As far as we are concerned, this is a scandal that was created after the festival...100 per cent it was created by jealousy."
Asked how he knew Fernandez, Hair Das replied: "I only got to know him two years ago when he organized the Karalla end of the festival." He added that Fernandez was arrested before the start of this year's festival.
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