Veerraju slams endowments for rising cost of ticket of Abhishekam at Kanipakam temple

Vijayawada: BJP state president Somu Veerraju slammed the endowments authorities for increasing the ticket cost of Abhishekam to the lord at Swayambhu Varasiddhi Vinayaka Devasthanam at Kanipakam of Chittoor district, by seven-fold and demanded for its withdrawal.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, the BJP state president asked the temple authorities as to who had given them the authority to increase the cost of ticket to Rs 5,000 from the existing Rs 700.

He turned critical on the YSRC government for taking a decision to allow the increase of the ticket cost of Abhishekam to the lord at the temple on the festival day and blamed it for showing hatred towards the Hindus. He warned that if the state government failed to withdraw its decision to raise the cost of the ticket of Abhishekam, they would adopt a legal course.

He flayed the authorities at the Dwaraka Tirumala temple for serving only pulihora to the devotees and wondered as to why no specials like Chakkara Pongali and others were not being offered even during the festive days at the temple. He alleged that the endowments authorities were behaving indifferently by denying certain privileges to the devotees especially during the festive days.