HYDERABAD: A public interest litigation petition in the Hyderabad High Court urged the court to declare the recent visit of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to Goddess Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada as illegal as a whopping Rs 5 crore was spent on the visit. The CM had offered a nose stud embedded with 57 diamonds to the goddess, and had taken a special flight along with his family members using government funds.
Prof PL Vishweshwara Rao from Secunderabad, in his petition, submitted that there would be no objection if KCR fulfils his vow of visiting various temples and offering donations that he had made during Telangana statehood agitation if separate Telangana state becomes a reality. However, he found fault in spending such a large amount of public money for fulfilling the vows of KCR.
The government had earlier allocated Rs 5 crore worth gold jewellery for Lord Sri Venkateshwara Swamy at Tirumala, Rs 59 lakh towards a two-kg golden crown for Bhadrakali Ammavaru temple in Warangal, Rs 45,000 worth nose stud for Goddess Padmavathi Ammavaru at Tiruchannuru, a golden moustache to the deity at Kuravi Veerabhadra Swamy temple and so on. Such amounts can be utilised for the welfare of public at large,” he said. The CM and principal secretary to home were named as the respondents.