Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board Member and BJP Andhra Pradesh spokesperson Bhanu Prakash Reddy said that a sub-committee will be formed to probe irregularities committed by the previous trust board under the YSR Congress Party government.
Speaking to the media on November 16, Saturday, Bhanu Prakash alleged that the previous TTD Chairperson Bhumana Karunakar Reddy had proposed to reconstruct TTD’s Govindaraja choultries – a low-cost accommodation facility for devotees – at a cost of around Rs 500 crore. He alleged that this was done with the intention of diverting funds to fund his son Bhumana Abhinay Reddy’s election campaign from the Tirupati Assembly constituency.
“From 2019-2024, the previous TTD board members have taken decisions out of greed for commissions. Funds were unnecessarily spent under the TTD engineering department only to be diverted through irregularities,” the BJP leader alleged.
During a visit to the Govindaraja choultries which are being reconstructed, he said that the constructions were already restored by TTD in 2016 at the cost of Rs 10 crore. Yet, in 2023-24, ahead of the Assembly elections, he alleged that the TTD trust board under Bhumana Karunakar Reddy proposed their reconstruction at a cost of Rs 500 crore, by falsely claiming that they were in a dilapidated condition.
“We received complaints from devotees that these funds were diverted to ensure his son’s victory in the election,” Bhanu Prakash alleged. “In the upcoming board meeting (on November 18), we will constitute a sub-committee to review all decisions taken by the previous board. We will ensure that all diverted funds are recovered,” he said.
Bhanu Prakash Reddy has previously demanded a judicial inquiry into the activities of the previous TTD board, alleging misuse of the temple revenue under the YSRCP government. The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is one of the richest and most popular Hindu temples in the world.
The TTD Trust Board has always held power and political weight. The Tirumala temple became the centre of political controversies particularly since the YSRCP government came to power in 2019. The BJP and its present alliance partners in the state, Telugu Desam Party and Jana Sena Party, frequently claimed that the YSRCP government was enabling ‘anti-Hindu’ activities under TTD, but they never managed to furnish substantial evidence.
After the TDP and its allies came to power in 2024, the temple once again became the centre of a nationwide controversy, this time over the quality of its laddus. The Chandrababu Naidu-led government claimed that animal fat was used in the preparation of the temple’s famous laddus. The Supreme Court criticised Chief Minister Naidu for making strong allegations of the use of adulterated ghee without substantial proof. The apex court also ordered an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the issue.