Dr Ketan Desai who was booked by the UPA govt is now back as the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams’ board member

On Tuesday (September 28), former Medical Council of India Chief, Dr Ketan Desai, was inducted as a board member of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. Ironically, Dr Ketan Desai is the same man who was once arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2 crore and now has been appointed as a board member of the richest temple in the world in terms of donations received and wealth.

Nirnay Kapoor, a journalist with India TV took to twitter to inform about his induction. He tweeted, “Dr. Ketan Desai appointed appointed as Board member of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (@tirupatibalaji). The first Gujarati to be inducted in the TTD board.”

Another Journalist J Gopikrishnan took to twitter to react to the decision. He retweeted Nirnay Kapoor’s tweet and said, “Oh My God.”

The corrupt Ketan Desai

Earlier in 2010, when the UPA Government was in power, Desai was arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2 crore for granting recognition to a medical college by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Ketan Desai was the president of the World Medical Association at the time but was suspended after his arrest.

Later, during the investigation, the CBI confirmed that the Rs 2 crore recovered from MCI Chairman Ketan Desai as a bribe at the time was only the first instalment of the illegal payment. The probe had further led to the discovery of a number of palatial houses, properties and jewellery owned by Desai. Apart from the cash, houses and jewellery, the CBI had also recovered 1.5 kgs of gold and 80 kgs of silver from Desai’s premises.

Desai was also booked by CBI in another corruption case in Lucknow. However, the charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy against him were dropped by a special CBI court as the Government did not provide mandatory sanctions to prosecute him.

Jumbo Trust Board for Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams

Earlier this month, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy led Andhra Pradesh government had appointed a jumbo trust board with 29 members and 52 special invitees. The Reddy government had issued three separate government orders constituting an 82-member trust board to form the biggest ever trust board. However, following the PILs filed by Bhartiya Janata Party leader G Bhanuprakash Reddy and others, the Andhra Pradesh High Court stayed the state government order to appoint 52 members to the TTD trust board as special invitees.

Read more: Temple loot, conversions & minority appeasement: Just one year of Jagan govt has been disastrous for Andhra Pradesh

Jagan Mohan Reddy’s hatred for Hindus

Jagan Mohan Reddy has always been infamous for his anti-Hindu instances. Reddy’s hatred for Hindus has transcended into hatred for temples, which have come under unprecedented attack. YS Reddy’s explicit pro-Christian stance, in any case, has always been a thorn to bear for the state’s Hindus, whether it be the Savarna class of the SCs. Under his rule, Andhra Pradesh has become a major hub of conversion in the country.

Read more: Centre warns Jagan to stop welfare benefits to converted members of SC/ST communities

Jagan might have been dreaming to benefit from the Tirumala Temple’s donations. However, he was left with nothing but a failed project as the state high court had put a stay on the Government order to appoint 52 special invitees. Thus, to resurrect his dead plan, it can be assumed that he might have inducted Ketan Desai as the board member of TTD. However, taking a deep dive into Ketan’s corrupt history, it is quite easy to recognize the disastrous effects his induction could have on the TTD board.