Tirupati: Appointing tainted persons as TTD board members draws flak

Tirupati: BJP, Congress and Jana Sena Party (JSP) leaders criticised the government for appointing tainted persons as the trust board members for the prestigious Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the temple management administering the most popular Hindu temple Sri Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala.

BJP senior leader Bhanu Prakash Reddy urged the government to reconsider its decision and warned that he would resort to legal course if the government failed to budge on the issue. Speaking to the media persons here on Saturday, the BJP leader said that the reconstituted trust board has tainted persons and were allegedly involved in scams. Citing the appointment of Sarath Chandra Reddy as the trust board member, he said he was accused 7 in the sensational Delhi liquor scam case while Dr Ketan Desai was also involved in corruption.

Stating that the BJP would bring out the list of tainted persons and questionable characters, who were found a place in the trust board, he said the party will launch an agitation and if required take legal course for the removal of tainted persons. He further said it is not desirable on the part of government to fill the TTD board with such persons and observed that TTD act stipulates the nomination of only those who have clean image, practicing Hindu religion and also engaged in promoting Hinduism.

Bhanu Prakash said after consulting with party state chief Purandareswari, he would take up a protest programme to press the government to remove the tainted persons.

Ponaganti Bhaskar, Bala Bhaskar, Anand Reddy, Murali, Manjunath were present.

Meanwhile JSP Tirupati constituency in-charge Kiran Royal addressing media said that the TTD trust board has become a rehabilitation centre for the ruling party and not in the service of pilgrims or development of temples.

Many of those appointed as TTD trust board members have nothing to do with devotees’ service or temple but to safeguard the ruling party, he said citing the appointment of three from TN and four from Maharashtra state.

JSP leaders Raja Reddy, Rajesh Aachari, Munaswamy, Kishore were present.

Congress leader P Naveen Kumar Reddy also found fault with the government on the reconstitution of TTD trust board with the persons who faced or are facing criminal cases and one is on bail.

Pointing to the appointment of Ketan Desai from Gujarat for the second time as board member, Reddy alleged that in the past 8 FIRs were registered against him when he was Medical Council of India (MCI) chairman for economic offence and 2 cases are still pending.

Appointing Sarat Chandra Reddy, the Aurobindo Pharma Group Director who was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi liquor scam, turned ‘approver’ to come out on bail, as a board member is atrocious, he said the government should explain its stand to the devotees on appointing such tainted persons as TTD board members.

Further, he said the appointment of a sizable number of people from TN and Maharashtra also indicate the ‘match fixing’ between the BJP and YSRCP. He also insisted on appointing only those from Andhra Pradesh as TTD trust board members and observed that the major Hindu institutions Sabarimala Devasthanam (Travancore devasthanams) and Shirdi Devasthanam are not following the practice of appointing people from other states as its trust members. There should be representation to the locals also in the trust board, he said.