After India’s Independence from the Britishers, famous temples of the Hindus in India are controlled by the government. These temples are under the direct control of the state government favorites. With temples becoming a political rehabilitation centre, it acquired all the ills that a political system could offer. The priests who have been denied control over the administration of their own temples have started to open up. The Balaji Temple in Tirupati is one of the biggest and the most-visited temples in the country. It also receives millions of rupees and precious ornaments every year from its visitors, especially from prominent families who are in political and business circles. The Balaji Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh is managed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) working in tandem with the state government. In an interview with the Republic TV, A.V. Ramana Dikshitulu, ex-head Priest of the Tirupati temple has accused Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu and TTD for plundering the temple’s resources. According to the ex- head priest, Chandrababu Naidu and the men appointed by his government in TTD had unleashed a reign of corruption on the Tirupati temple resources.
In the interview the ex- head priest mentioned that priceless ornaments and precious diamonds donated by devotees to Lord Venkateshwara had suddenly disappeared. The ex-Head priest was in no mood to go easy on CM Chandrababu Naidu. He blamed the CM Chandrababu Naidu and his appointed men for looting away the temple and also for using the temple’s scared kitchen for hiding the jewels and the ornaments.
The priest added ,”The issue is that kitchen is used to prepare prasadams to be offered to the deity since last one thousand years. It was never closed; there was no evidence of closure of the kitchen for even, for one day, last year June December 8, I have seen the kitchen being closed. As an advisor of our Agama Shastras to the temple, I should be informed about the changes they are doing in these Agamik procedures, but I was not informed. Later when I went into the kitchen, I saw lot of brickware has been removed, flooring has been removed and it was like an earthquake. Then I called the Executive Officer (sic)”.
The allegations levied by Dikshitulu are serious ones; it is difficult for any outsider to carry out such activities in the temple as it is under CCTV vigilance all the time. According to Dikshitulu it would be very difficult for anyone without authority to come inside and carry out the dirty deed, he also alleged that the whole TTD was in fact running under the direct rule of CM Chandrababu Naidu. The Andhra Pradesh CM had appointed his favorites in TTD which enabled him to carry out all the dirty deeds.
Dikshitulu also blamed CM Chandrababu Naidu for revenge politics which had led to him being ousted from his position in the temple. He believes was victimized because he had received BJP Party President Amit Shah on his temple visit. “As a head priest according to the protocol system, I have to receive any dignitary visiting the temple, may be a President of India, Vice President of India or Prime Minister or Chief Justice of India or the governor or the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. But when Amit Shah came and I showed him the kitchen around and told him what happen there. See… How it will be, it is carried by the CM and in the light of political turmoil of the state that I have been victimized for meeting Amit Shah and explaining to him everything,” he said. These allegations raise serious doubts about the functioning of Andhra Pradesh government led by CM Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP. Corruption and mismanagement allegations are nothing new but it’s the first time when an ex-head priest has laid the blame directly on a ruling CM. Not just this but the ex-head priest was also sacked by the TTD officials for exposing the ongoing loot. This could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP in Andhra Pradesh.
Chandrababu Naidu and his party TDP will have to face charges and prove their innocence once the issue is taken to the house of law. Hopefully the central government too will realize the necessity of giving back the administration of the temple to the priests. Some kind of overseer could be appointed to look over the expenses and income but active interference in temple allowances and expenses by government should be stopped at all costs. It is high time that every temple just like any other religious institution should be governed by members of their own community. Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has already taken notice of the incident and has decided to approach the Supreme Court demanding CBI inquiry for corruption and for ‘quashing’ the sacking of the head priest Ramana Dikshitulu.
I have decided after seeing the grossly illegal exercise of power of TTD in sacking the Head Priest Ramana Dikshitalu. Hence I will move the SC for quashing the sacking and seek also a Court monitored CBI investigation into the financial misappropriation of Temple funds by TTD
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) May 21, 2018
The ex-Head priest also met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP Party President Amit Shah on Monday to demand a CBI inquiry into the issue. Dikshitulu asserted that he had all the necessary information needed to prove the closure of temple kitchen and disappearance of a Pink Diamond donated to the temple by Maharaja of Mysore in 1945, amongst other valuables.
The allegations levied by ex-Head priest Dikshitulu will definitely weaken the image of TDP and Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh. With election seasons round the corner, charges of such magnitude could unwind the grip of TDP on the Andhra voters.
