Anantapur: Former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board member and BJP leader G. Bhanu Prakash Reddy has objected to the board agreeing to Tirupati Municipal Corporation (TMC)’s proposal to TTD that the devasthanam spend Rs.70 crore to Rs.100 crore for meeting the sanitation needs of Tirupati city.
"This is a clear case of diverting TTD funds, which cannot be allowed to happen,” the BJP leader said addressing a press conference here on Saturday. He underlined that he would soon bring this issue to the notice of Governor S. Abdul Nazeer. He would also take legal action if TTD administration continues to divert temple funds arbitrarily.
Bhanu Prakash Reddy said if TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakara Reddy is really committed to development of Tirupati, he should convince Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to allocate funds from the state government’s coffers. “They are trying to divert TTD funds through backdoor means,” he maintained.
The BJP leader raised concern over the devasthanam board not giving equal privileges to TTD Local Advisory Committee (LAC) presidents appointed for different states. He pointed out that LAC presidents appointed for Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar three months ago have not yet been allocated their darshan quota, while presidents of other states have already been given this privilege.
He said as a result, devotees of Lord Venkateswara from Karnataka and Odisha are being deprived of the opportunity to take part in special darshans at the Tirumala temple.
The BJP leader said all LAC presidents must be treated equally.
