Oppn slams KCR's Rs 5 cr gold offer to Lord Venkateswara

The main opposition Congress and the BJP in Telangana today criticised Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for using public money to fulfil his "personal vows" made to Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh.

In a princely offering, the Chief Minister today donated gold ornaments worth around Rs 5 crore to the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala, to fulfil a vow he had made for realisation of separate Telangana.

After offering worship to the presiding deity (Lord Venkateswara), Rao handed over a golden garland studded with fossilised shells called "Shaligram Haram" and a multi-layer gold necklace called "Makhara Kantabharanam," weighing about 19 kg and worth about Rs 5 crore to the temple Executive Officer D Sambasiva Rao, temple sources told PTI.

"It's not correct for KCR to use public money for his personal vows to god. Government should make public what transparency was maintained in the making of ornaments offered to Lord Venkateswara (at Tirupati). To whom this contract was given, it should be made public," Congress leader and former minister M Sasidhar Reddy told reporters here.

Reddy, a former vice-chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), said he would write a letter to the Executive Officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the body that administers the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirupati, to state the value of the ornaments.

Questions on transparency in the making of ornaments arose in view of corruption happening in Telangana, he said. Telangana BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao alleged that Rao "possibly is the only CM in the entire country today who spends public money so brazenly for personal reasons." "BJP doesn't have any objection to one's religious beliefs and personal vows to god. However, these vows have to be fulfilled in individual capacity and not by using public money. Those in power should have basic competence to draw a line between personal and public spending," Rao said in a statement.

Alleging that the TRS government has not fulfilled any of its election promises, the BJP spokesperson said the ruling party should focus on fulfilling the vows made to people.