After maintaining silence for two days after being stripped of the posts of chairman of Simhachalam temple trust board and MANSAS Trust, former Union minister and senior Telugu Desam Party leader P Ashok Gajapathi Raju finally broke his silence on Saturday.
He told reporters at Vizianagaram that the way the YSR Congress party government had handled the trust affairs by removing him from the posts and appointing his niece Sanchaita as the chairperson was not correct.
“It is strange that the government has sought to interfere in the affairs of the trusts established by the Raju family and removed me from the chairman posts. Till now, the government has not disclosed the GOs in this regard,” he said.
Referring to the reports that Sanchaita had Christian connections, Ashok said it would create legal problems in future. He alleged that the ruling party was eyeing precious lands and trust assets, including 105 temples under their purviews.
“The lands give by various donors should belong to the temples and not any individuals,” he said.
Ashok pointed out that the trust activities had been running smoothly, irrespective of the party that was in power since its establishment in 1958.
“For the first time, the government has interfered in the affairs through endowments department and hurt the sentiments of the devotees,” he said.
He said he might move the court of law to seek justice.
“Before that, we need to get access to the GO that made changes in the trusts,” he said.
Sanchaita, daughter of Ashok’s brother Ananda Gajapathi Raju, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party a couple of years ago. She is now executive member of the BJP at the national level.
