By IANS,
Hyderabad : Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi told the Andhra Pradesh assembly Wednesday that the mortgaging of the jewellery of a Tirupati temple by the priest was only the tip of the iceberg.
The Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) president, who represents Tirupati constituency in the assembly, told the house that he was ready to table evidence of such misappropriation in other temples under Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.
“The misappropriation of temple ornaments is an emotional issue concerning crores of devotees. I have evidences on several manipulations in temples,” Chiranjeevi said in the assembly and demanded a thorough debate on the issue.
Following a similar demand from the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and other opposition parties, speaker N. Kiran Kumar Reddy announced that the house would take up a debate on the issue Friday.
Leader of Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu demanded a probe by the crime branch into the property of all temples in the state. “There is no safety for god’s properties in the state, forget about the safety of the common man and his property,” Naidu said.
State Minister for Endowments Gade Venkata Reddy, however, denied that the Devasthanam was in a bad shape as depicted by the opposition and the media. He said the government was ready for a discussion on the issue.
Tirupati police Aug 22 arrested head priest of the Devasthanam-run Sri Kodandarama Swamy temple on charges of theft, cheating and criminal breach of trust. Venkatramana Deekshithulu, the head priest, had mortgaged gold ornaments of the temple with a private money lender for Rs.1 million for his personal needs.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam runs the affairs of a dozen temples, including the Venkateshwara temple, the world’s richest temple located on Tirumala hills.
The incident came to light when officials of the Devasthanam were conducting an inventory of the ornaments in all temples of the Devasthanam as directed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
The high court last week directed the Devasthanam to conduct an inventory of the ornaments in all its temples and submit a detailed report within two months.
The order came on a petition alleging that the jewellery estimated to be worth over Rs.500 billion was being misappropriated and there was no accountability.