VIJAYAWADA: A letter from Sri Sharada Peetham pontiff Sri Swaroopanandendra Saraswathi to Endowment Minister Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao seeking funding for a month-long conference to be held next month and subsequent directions by the Endowment Commissioner to the devasthanams of some major temples, including Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), to submit proposals, if they are willing to donate, is now snowballing into a major controversy.
Critics are now questioning on what basis did the State government ask the temple administrations to support a private event. The seer wrote a letter to Velampalli requesting financial assistance for conducting ‘Sanathana Hindu Dharma Parirakshana’ national conference at his ashram in Visakhapatnam from January 3 to February 3. Following this, the minister directed the Commissioner of Endowments department to examine the request and consider it.
Subsequently, a memo was sent to the executive officers of various Devasthanams, requesting them to submit necessary proposals for consideration under section 72 of the Act 30/87, if they are willing to contribute amounts for purpose as the proposed event.