<p>As the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust readies Puttaparthi to host one of the biggest events in the last one year — the first death anniversary of Sathya Sai Baba — one of the godman’s relatives has made a series of allegations against trustee and baba’s nephew R J Ratnakar.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Ganapathi Raju, one of the relatives of baba, on Sunday issued a press statement claiming Ratnakar was unfit to continue as the trustee of the trust and that he has submitted a memorandum to the chief minister and governor of Andhra Pradesh with signatures of many local devotees seeking Ratnakar’s removal.<br /><br />Incidentally, both Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and Governor E S L Narasimhan will be attending the function on April 24.<br /><br />Titled “Sri Sathya Sai Aradhana Mahotsavam”, the three-day programme will begin on April 23 and Reddy and Narasimhan are expected to attend Tuesday’s book releasing event. After releasing the book on baba they will also take part in cultural programme.<br /><br />A Anantharaman, the trust’s media coordinator, said all preparations have been completed. And in what some of the locals term as a publicity gimmick, Ganapathi Raju has chosen to come out with his allegations now.<br /><br />Among many allegations, Raju has accused that Ratnakar has been purchasing a lot of property through the money he has diverted from the trust and is also evading taxes. He said Ratnakar has past with violence, something that Sai Baba never approved of. “He had a fight with a local person called Pacha Ramesh in the public, he had also sent a mob to M Sankara Raju’s house besides having physically fought with an APSRTC depot manager,” Raju claimed.<br /><br />Ratnakar, he said, was also guilty of recommending a private trust’s name to the government for allotment of land in its favour. “He got a commission of Rs 40 lakh for this,” Raju said, adding Ratnakar now wants to even contest elections and become a minister.<br /><br />Ratnakar was not immediately available for comments but sources in Prashanthi Nilayam rubbished the allegations. Raju, however, said he had no ill intentions and that he was not doing this to attain anything personally.<br /><br />The trust is expecting anywhere between 30,000-50,000 people for the three-day programme.<br /></p>
<p>As the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust readies Puttaparthi to host one of the biggest events in the last one year — the first death anniversary of Sathya Sai Baba — one of the godman’s relatives has made a series of allegations against trustee and baba’s nephew R J Ratnakar.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Ganapathi Raju, one of the relatives of baba, on Sunday issued a press statement claiming Ratnakar was unfit to continue as the trustee of the trust and that he has submitted a memorandum to the chief minister and governor of Andhra Pradesh with signatures of many local devotees seeking Ratnakar’s removal.<br /><br />Incidentally, both Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and Governor E S L Narasimhan will be attending the function on April 24.<br /><br />Titled “Sri Sathya Sai Aradhana Mahotsavam”, the three-day programme will begin on April 23 and Reddy and Narasimhan are expected to attend Tuesday’s book releasing event. After releasing the book on baba they will also take part in cultural programme.<br /><br />A Anantharaman, the trust’s media coordinator, said all preparations have been completed. And in what some of the locals term as a publicity gimmick, Ganapathi Raju has chosen to come out with his allegations now.<br /><br />Among many allegations, Raju has accused that Ratnakar has been purchasing a lot of property through the money he has diverted from the trust and is also evading taxes. He said Ratnakar has past with violence, something that Sai Baba never approved of. “He had a fight with a local person called Pacha Ramesh in the public, he had also sent a mob to M Sankara Raju’s house besides having physically fought with an APSRTC depot manager,” Raju claimed.<br /><br />Ratnakar, he said, was also guilty of recommending a private trust’s name to the government for allotment of land in its favour. “He got a commission of Rs 40 lakh for this,” Raju said, adding Ratnakar now wants to even contest elections and become a minister.<br /><br />Ratnakar was not immediately available for comments but sources in Prashanthi Nilayam rubbished the allegations. Raju, however, said he had no ill intentions and that he was not doing this to attain anything personally.<br /><br />The trust is expecting anywhere between 30,000-50,000 people for the three-day programme.<br /></p>
