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Who Is Politicizing Tirumala Affairs?

Who Is Politicizing Tirumala Affairs?

The sudden decision of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board to make chief priest of Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala A V Ramana Deekshitulu within a day of his allegation of financial irregularities in the TTD came in for sharp criticism from all sections.

As if rubbing salt to the wounds, the Telugu Desam Party issued statement attributing political motives to Ramana Deekshitulu stating that he was dancing to the tunes of the powers at the Centre, which is trying to take over the temple.

TDP leader and Brahmin Parishad chairman Vemuri Ananda Surya questioned why the priest did not talk about financial irregularities and missing of jewellery during YS Rajasekhar Reddy regime.

However, the decision of the TTD trust board to enforce retirement age for the priests itself is a political decision, say experts, as the trust board had no right to intervene in the temple rituals and working of hereditary priests.

Former TTD trust board chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy questioned the trust board decision restricting the age limit of hereditary priests of Tirumala.

He alleged that chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had been using religious places for his political agenda and has been sidestepping the age-old good practices of the devotional abode.

He said only four families had been conducting the pujas and other services since generations and it was endorsed by various religious heads as the practice has been in vogue for the past 2,000 years and the trust board, which would be there for just two years cannot take such decision.

“Naidu and his coterie has been in jitters after the chief priest has raised pointed questions and now they are trying to muzzle his voice through such means. The TTD Board has so far did not answer to the charges Ramana Deekshitulu has raised and are trying to sidestep the issue by bringing up the age of the priests to the fore,” he said.

“Though British and Muslims as well had ruled this part of the state, they had never interfered with the temple rituals and the TTDD Board has been doing it now at the behest of Naidu,” he said.

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