In a move that is likely to land in a legal wrangle, the Jagan government on Saturday decided to auction TTD assets. A decision to this effect was taken at a Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) meeting on Saturday.
The state government has decided to take over and auction 23 Srivari assets of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam across Tamil Nadu, mainly in Vellore, Thiruvallur, Kanchipuram. The TTD has set up eight committees. At the meeting, the TTD has decided to liquidate assets like land parcels and buildings donated by devotees to Lord Venkateswara to tide over the financial crisis and help provide salaries of its about 22,000 Tirumala staff members. The TTD has entrusted the registration of temple properties to the TTD officials, a move severely criticized by the state BJP, Congress and Jana Sena leaders.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has land and other assets not only in Andhra Pradesh but also in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Pondicherry, Haryana and Odisha. The worth of TTD properties would be over thousands of crores.
Y V Subbareddy, TTD board chairman and maternal uncle of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, in the past attributed the auction of temple lands to paucity of funds. The board has already announced that they don’t have enough funds to pay the employees salary from June. It has also said that that temple board has no other go except for relying on the fixed deposits and sale of temple wealth for maintenance expenses.
BJP State president Kanna Laxminarayana on Saturday demanded that the TTD drop the idea of auction of TTD assets as it would severely hurt the religious sentiments of millions of devotees. Questioning the propriety behind the TTD move, he said the onus of protecting the temple properities rested on the shoulders of the state government. The TTD would have to face a public agitation if it went ahead with the move to sell temple assets, he said. “The government is playing with the sentiments of Hindu devotees and trying to undermine Hindu religion. We will not keep silent if the TTD assets are auctioned,” Kanna warned.
The Jana Sena leaders came down heavily on the state government saying the motive behind the move was to usurp the temple properties by the YSRCP leaders and their family members. The Jana Sena leaders said they will move the court to challenge the government’s decision to auction temple assets saying the Jagan government’s decision will hurt the sentiments of crores of devotees. The Opposition leaders demanded that the TTD should immediately stop its move to take over and auction the temple properties.
AP Mahila Congress leader Padmavathi said the TTD’s move is an insult to the devotees who donated the lands to Lord Venkateswara and that the TTD officials have miserably failed to protect the properties of Lord Venkateswara.
Former Congress Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan had recently asked the central government to appropriate all the gold lying with all religious trusts in India. According to Chavan, the gold worth $1 trillion could be borrowed at a low-interest rate and utilised in the ongoing “emergency” Covid-19 situation. “Government must immediately appropriate all the gold lying with all the religious trusts in the country, worth at least $1trillion, according to the World Gold Council. The gold can be borrowed through gold bonds at a low-interest rate. This is an emergency,” he recently tweeted sparking a row.
Why can’t the govt look at wakf lands and Christian church properties? Does it have the courage to meddle with the sentiments of muslims and Christians. First, y v subba teddy a Christian by faith has to step down as ttd chairman. He should be the head of medal church
These are properties of devotees. Why can’t jagan sell his assets to pay off ttd staff salaries. Jagan will learn hard lesson. Dont interfere with religious affairs, the government should know this before it’s too late
Are these assets owned by ysr or raja reddy? This is an attempt to vaticanise tirumala what with subba reddy a Christian heading ttd. Shame jagan
The move has to be strongly opposed by one and all. We should save temple assets. If this government continues, they will even auction tirumala, the abode of lord venkateshwara
Autocratic decisions. Who is jagan and his team consulting before taking crucial decisions. This involves sentiments of crores of hindu devotees. These assets were donated by hindu devotees to lord balaji. This govt should be dethroned
There are several church properties in Guntur, Krishna, anantapur, east and west godavari. Auction these properties first. Jagan is showing his Christian bias.
Merely criticizing govt won’t help, mr kanna. The BJP should take this up seriously with the central party leadership and halt the devious designs of the jagan government
Vaticanisation of tirumala. Subba should go
Jagan will face the wrath of hindu devotees. The jagan and kcr govts should stop appeasing minorities and desist from hurting the sentiments of Hindus
The govt has no jurisdiction to sell temple assets. If it is making such a move, it will burn its fingers.
Jagan and his team overstepping. Vinasha kaale viprita buddhi
The Sanskrit saying vinaash kaale vipreet buddhi is apt. Jagan’s ‘destruction time is arriving, therefore his stupid decision. God will have his way to teach him
Ee YCP government mottam Andhra ne ammeyyalani chustundhi . Veedi babu 7 kondalu endhuku Anna marasati Roje chachhadu. , next veediki poye kalam sampinchindhi.
దేవుడు ప్రజల కోసమే కదా ! మానవ సేవే మాధవ సేవ అన్నప్పుడు అమ్మితే తప్పేంటి ??
Manavulu tinaru. Rabandulu commissions tintayi .
Government goung against orders of 2002/ of cbn govt . Will courts allow. Why sell give then goshalas , or build ttd temples this yesu swamy reddy want to ruin AP and help develop TS.