Tirupati: Telugu Desam Party leaders strongly criticised YSR Congress Party spokesperson and former TTD Chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy for creating what they called ‘deliberate ruckus’ on social media over the alleged neglect of a Lord Maha Vishnu idol by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). They clarified that the idol in question was in fact an incomplete statue of Lord Shani and accused Reddy of spreading false propaganda to gain political mileage.

Addressing the media at Tirupati Press Club on Wednesday, State Yadava Corporation Chairman G Narasimha Yadav, SAAP Chairman Animini Ravi Naidu, Deputy Mayor RC Munikrishna, TDP state media coordinator P Sridhar Varma, and APIIDC Director Vooka Vijay Kumar came down heavily on the Bhumana family. Narasimha Yadav alleged that Bhumana and his son Abhinay Reddy intentionally stirred controversy on social media to provoke an arrest and generate sympathy. The TTD governing body had already given a field-level clarification on Tuesday afternoon, yet Bhumana continued with the drama of ‘illegal arrest’ the same evening,” he said, pointing out that an FIR was registered at 7 pm. He further alleged that the entire exercise was aimed at impressing former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Ravi Naidu echoed similar views, saying Abhinay Reddy’s social media campaigns were designed only to garner sympathy. He reminded that vigilance inquiries into alleged irregularities during the previous YSRCP government had already been completed. “Instead of answering about misuse of TTD funds, smart city scams, TDR bond frauds, and dubious contracts worth hundreds of crores, the Bhumana family is resorting to lies,” he said.

The TDP leaders accused the Bhumana family of several misdeeds – including misusing devotees’ offerings, indulging in corruption, and damaging Tirupati’s reputation. They questioned why Abhinay was ‘so eager’ for his father’s arrest and mocked the family for even preparing posters to gain public sympathy.

They warned that unlike the past, the current coalition government would not let such propaganda go unchecked and promised that legal action would follow.