High drama in Tirupati, curbs imposed
VIJAYAWADA: A series of developments took place in Tirupati and surrounding districts with the police issuing notices to YSRC leaders against congregating in large numbers during the proposed visit of YSRC president and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to Tirumala on Friday.
Notices have been served to the YSRC leaders from the combined Chittoor and Kadapa districts. Apart from issuing notices, police in large numbers were deployed at the Renigunta airport as well as in several places of the city anticipating trouble.
On the other hand, some Swamijis and BJP leaders organised protests denouncing the proposed visit of Jagan to Tirumala.
The TTD set up hoardings with the message “The TTD temples are Hindu public temples. They are generally used as a right only by the Hindu community. However, there will be no objection for admission of non-Hindu pilgrims into the TTD temples provided, he/she furnishes a declaration in the prescribed form stating faith and reverence in Lord Venkateswara.”
Meanwhile, the YSRC smelled that a conspiracy had been hatched by the NDA coalition government to attack Jagan during his visit to Tirumala. TTD Trust Board former chairman and YSRC senior leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy accused the government of politicising the visit of Jagan to Tirumala.
He pointed out how the TTD can ask Jagan to sign the declaration forgetting the fact that he offered silk robes to the Lord for five years in his capacity as the Chief Minister.
Accusing the government of terrorising the YSRC leaders and also resorting to house arrests besides making every attempt to stop the visit of Jagan to Tirumala, Bhumana said this is an indication how Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is getting scared of Jagan.
Taking social media platform ‘X’, Medical and Health Minister and BJP leader Y Satya Kumar Yadav felt that Jagan exposed himself again by cancelling Tirumala visit that he was never sincere about.
The YSRC chief’s double standards and ignorance of Hindu religion and its practices makes his stand very clear, the Health Minister said. “He did not want to sign a declaration and hence cancelled his visit to Tirumala, which shows his lack of respect for Hindu religion. Dalits are Hindus and have the right to visit Balaji. But Jagan doesn’t know this. He thinks all Dalits are Christians. Height of ignorance. Secularism that Jagan referred to, by definition, demands respecting all religions. Jagan doesn’t know that non-Sikhs visiting Gurdwaras are required to cover their head,” Satya Kumar mentioned in the post.