Chandrababu has the record of demolishing 45 temples: YSRCP

Hyderabad: Questioning the harsh decisions taken by the TTD Governing Council, laden with Chandrababu Naidus coterie, on restricting the age limit of hereditary priests of Tirupati, YSR Congress has said that the chief minister has been using religious places for his political agenda and has been sidestepping the age-old good practices of the devotional abode.

Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, party senior leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy said, the Governing Council with its two-year term has no right to restrict the age of the priests of the Tirupati Devastham, to 65 years.

Only four families have 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 this governing council, which would be there for just two years cannot take such decision.

Chandrababu Naidu and his coterie has been in jitters after the chief priest Ramana Deekshitulu 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.

The arrogance of Chandrababu and his men has come to full play in the garb of devotional mask as the government has been seeing Tirupati as a source of revenue only but not in the measure of sanctity the place deserves, 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 Chandrababu Naidu, he said.

Chandrababu Naidu has the record of demolishing 45 temples in and around Vijayawada and has been after temple lands which shows his obsession of land grabbing, he said.