Former priest ruining own name: TTD JEO

TTD joint executive officer K.S. Srinivasa Raju on Friday denied allegations made by former head priest Dr A.V. Ramana Deekshitulu, and asked him to “come out of the (cloud of) lies.”

Speaking to mediapersons at Annamaiah Bhavan in Tirumala, Mr Raju said, “All the allegations he made are definitely false. Bringing the name of the Chief Minister or some ‘madam’ may not bring seriousness to the allegations, he should remember that... I request Dr Deekshitulu to spend the rest of his life peacefully,” Mr Raju said. “Serving that Lord all these years Dr Deekshitulu has earned very good fame. By making false allegations he is losing it.”

He said the jewelllery of Lord Venkateswara were being verified every year. “Our chief accounts officer spends about 20 days every year verifying the jewels. We are ready for an inquiry,” Mr Raju said.

He said the repairs to the Prasadam Potu had taken place in 2001. A fire accident occurred in 2007, and renovation work was done in 2008. “During those times the prasadams of the lord were made at that Padi Potu. This is what happened this year too,” Dr Raju said.

Responding to the allegations that the Potu was dug in a hunt for hidden treasure, Mr Raju said, “When Dr Deekshitulu had expressed doubts over the digging of the Prasadam Potu, the engineers and I had went inside the Potu along with him. He inspected the Potu and expressed no doubts.”