TIRUPATI: BJP State spokesperson and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board member Bhanuprakash Reddy on Monday filed a complaint alleging misappropriation of donations collected under Tulabaram at Tirumala temple between 2019 and 2024.
In his complaint to the Tirupati Superintendent of Police, Bhanuprakash alleged that a contract worker managing the Tulabaram ritual inside the temple failed to deposit the collected donations into TTD accounts. He accused the contract employee, allegedly supported by temple officials, of misappropriating over 50% of the donations daily, amounting to several lakhs of rupees and totaling crores over time.
He charged that the temple staff, in collusion with others, committed criminal breach of trust by misusing the funds donated by devotees of Lord Venkateswara. Bhanuprakash also claimed that the State Vigilance and Enforcement Department’s recent inquiry into TTD affairs did not cover the Tulabaram issue.
He said complaints received by the TTD during the period were ignored and discarded without action. Tulabaram is an age-old ritual in which devotees donate goods, groceries, ornaments, or crops equivalent to their body weight.