VIJAYAWADA: The appointment of Anil Kumar Singhal, a native of Punjab, as the Executive Officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is snowballing into a controversy.
The latest development is senior IAS office K S Jawahar Reddy going on leave for 30 days. Though his colleagues say he availed leave for personal reasons, the very fact that he was one of the front runners for the coved post, makes the reason offered debatable.
Never in the history of the TTD, has an official not a native of Andhra Pradesh been considered for the post. Apart from causing consternation among officers who dreamed of heading the TTD, the decision has annoyed pontiffs and politicos as well.
Vizag-based Sarada Peetham pontiff Swamy Swaroopananda Saraswati questioned the state government’s wisdom in appointing a North Indian IAS officer as TTD Executive Officer. He wanted to know how a person who is neither aware of agama sastra nor speak Telugu head the holy institution. Apart from faulting the government for its decision, he also hinted at knocking the doors of the court to annul the appointment.
While this is so, film star and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, too, disapproved of the government’s decision. “I am not against North Indian IAS officials taking charge of TTD, but, would they (North Indians) allow any South Indian to take up the administrative position at sacred shrines such as Amarnath, Varanasi or Madhura? When they don’t, why should we? The Chief Minister owes an explanation to the people of Andhra Pradesh and South, the Jana Sena chief tweeted.
TDP leaders, who had been showing a soft corner for Pawan Kalyan, reacted sharply to his tweets.
Transport Minister K Atchannaidu, who is in Tirumala, said the question of the officer’s nativity was a non-issue and that anyone devoted to God could head the institution.
TDP MLC YVB Rajendra Prasad and Housing Corporation chairman Varla Ramaiah said the Jana Sena chief should “first know the meaning of IAS before tweeting”. Amid the political controversy, some of the IAS officers in the Secretariat have brought in IAS officer KS Jawahar Reddy’s name into this, claiming his decision to go on 30 days’ leave was telling.
As Reddy’s name did rounds for the coveted post, some officials said he was disappointed with the Chief Minister for not considering his name for the post and therefore he went on leave. However, some other officials said Reddy was trying to join Central Service and went on leave to intensify his efforts to move out of AP.