CHENNAI: BJP senior leader and Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy conferred with his team of legal experts in the city on Saturday on moving a PIL before the Supreme Court seeking to free the world renowned Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam from the ‘clutches’ of the state government.
Mr Swamy who earlier in the day met Governor Banwarilal Purohit at the Raj Bhavan and gave a clean chit to the performance of the Edappadi Palaniswami government saying its rule was better than the DMK rule, discussed the PIL with Mohan Das, T. R. Ramesh and R. Ravi. “In Chennai with my legal team of Mohan Das, T. R. Ramesh and R. Ravi to prepare the writ petition for freeing the Tirumala Tirupati temple from AP government clutches,” he tweeted.
The BJP MP had last week asserted that the dismissal of the head priest Ramana Dikshitalu by the TTD Board was “grossly illegal” and that he will move the Supreme Court to quash the sacking and also appeal for a court-monitored CBI probe into the financial misappropriation of temple funds by the TTD board.
Days after he addressed a select press conference in Chennai on May 15 alleging serious financial irregularities in TTD, Ramana Dikshitalu was sacked from the post. The heat on him from the ruling TDP in Andhra Pradesh has been on the increase after his meeting with BJP national chief Amit Shah on May 21.
The TTD Trust Board passed a resolution retiring all 'mirasi archakas' (hereditary priests) upon reaching 65 of age and following this A. Venugopala Dikshitulu replaced the 69-year-old Ramana Dikshitulu as head priest at the Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala.
Ramana Dikshitulu also claimed that he was being victimised for meeting BJP President Amit Shah and showing him how hidden treasures were allegedly being stolen. He said, “As a head priest according to the protocol system, I have to receive any dignitary visiting the temple, maybe 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.” In the light of political turmoil in the state, he has been 'victimised' for meeting Amit Shah and explaining him everything, he said.
Amidst a raging political slugfest which began with the sacking of the head priest, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu accused the BJP of “plotting” to take over the TTD administration and hand it over to the archaeology department. The BJP was attempting to use Ramana Dikshitulu to attack the TDP, he said and added that he would not allow the BJP machinations to continue.
Addressing the 'Nava Nirmana Deeksha' marking the Appointed Day when the unified Andhra Pradesh was divided in 2014, in Vijayawada on Saturday, Mr Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the BJP went to the extent of creating trouble for AP government by raking up a controversy on the TTD through its former chief priest, who demanded a CBI inquiry into the case of missing diamond and jewellery. This, the CM said, was part of the game plan to tarnish the image of TTD.
