VIJAYAWADA: The sanctity and image of Tirumala has suffered a big dent with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu continuing his cheap gimmicks to stall the probe of any kind into the Tirupati stampede, said former TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy.
Speaking to the media in Tirupati on Sunday, he said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had asked Sanjiv Jindal, Additional Secretary, to probe the series of untoward happenings in the TTD, and he was supposed to arrive on Sunday. However, a communique about the cancellation of the Additional Secretary’s visit was sent to the TTD EO last night, purportedly after Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Undavalli.
While the first communique had the proper credentials, the second one had come from the Control Room of the MHA, which appeared to be in a hurry as it coincided with the meeting of Naidu and Pawan Kalyan with Amit Shah, he pointed out.
The very fact that the Centre intervening and seeking a report on the series of events, which included the stampede on January 8, Tirupati laddu issue, fire at Prasadam counter, and other irregularities, brought shame to the State administration, which tarnished the image of the pious Devasthanam, he said.
Bhumana asserted that Naidu might have managed institutions, but he could not manage the God or public ire. He questioned the lack of action on the part of either the CM or the Deputy CM, who talks tall on Sanatana Dharma, pertaining to judicial inquiry into the stampede.