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The former head priest of the Venkateshwara temple in Tirumala has accused Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu of getting the temple’s kitchen excavated last December allegedly in search for ancient treasure.
AV Ramana Deekshitulu was forced into retirement earlier this year. He was reacting on Wednesday to a legal notice served to him by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the organisation that manages the country’s richest temple. The TTD has claimed damages amounting to ~100 crore from Deekshitulu for levelling “false allegations” against the temple administration as well as the Tamil Nadu government.
While the Chief Minister’s Office could not be reached for a response, senior Telugu Desam Party leader Vemuri Ananda Surya dismissed Deekshitulu’s allegations. “The former head priest is slinging mud at the chief minister only to get some media attention,” he said.
Deekshitulu, however, continued with his attack on temple administration, demanding a CBI probe into allegations of financial irregularities, disappearance of antique jewellery worth crores of rupees, and excavation of land under the temple kitchen (known as the Srivari Potu) in an attempt to unearth hidden treasures, among others.
“I will soon meet PM Modi and put forth my demand. If that does not happen, I will sit on a fast unto death from July,” he said.
Deekshitulu also recalled the time when the kitchen was shut for repair work, which he alleged was taken up without his knowledge. “On December 20, I found that the entire floor had been dug up. The officer responsible for supervising the work said it was being done on the instructions of the CM and a ‘madam’,” he said.
Deekshitulu also recalled the time when the Srivari Potu was shut down between December 8, 2017, and January 3, 2018, on the pretext of minor repair work. The work was allegedly taken up without his knowledge.
Deekshitulu then questioned the joint executive officer responsible for supervising the repair work, only to be told that it was being done as per the instructions of the CM and a “madam”. “When I asked who the madam was and under what authority she could order repairs in the kitchen, the officer shouted at me,” he said.