Corruption In Tirumala: BJP Leaders Meet Governor

A delegation of BJP leaders on Tuesday called on the Governor of the two Telugu states E S L Narasimhan at Raj Bhavan and pleaded with him to initiate steps to curb "gross irregularities" being committed in the world famous Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams.

Speaking to mediapersons on Tuesday, Telangana BJP president Dr K Laxman said that Tirumala was the most pious place for worship for Hindus all over the world, and such a place had now become a source to mint money for fraudsters, middlemen and brokers.

Some officials working in the Andhra Pradesh CMO had colluded with the staff in the JEO's office in Tirumala to resort to corrupt practices with the help of brokers, Laxman claimed. These people were allegedly selling various darshan tickets outside for huge money against the rules and dharma, he claimed.

On September 27, 2018, at around 7:30 am, TTD vigilance officials headed by the JEO and Additional Vigilance & Security Officer conducted a scrutiny of L-1, L-2 and L-3 VIP Break Darshan tickets and identified persons who came with recommendation letters claiming they got them from the Chief Minister's Office, MLAs, MPs, ministers and TTD board members by paying hefty prices. They said that darshan tickets were being sold at prices ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 while a VIP darshan ticket was normally Rs 500.

Even the Lord's abhishekham tickets were being sold illegally, for Rs 2 lakhs each, Laxman said.

The brokers were misusing the VIP letters, and in some cases the VIPs themselves were using the brokers to make money. Even though the TTD vigilance department had identified the brokers and the persons involved in the racket, and had prepared a report and sent it to higher authorities, the report did not see the light of the day due to pressure from the higher-ups in the departments and politicians, Laxman alleged.

The BJP leaders said that other darshan tickets were also being sold through the brokers, who had deep-rooted contacts with many TTD officials and politicians, with everyone getting their share of the loot. This was totally spoiling the sanctity of the temple and the faith of millions of devotees, they said.

They urged the Governor to see that the whole system was revamped, and that honest and god-fearing people were appointed to crucial positions.

The delegation of BJP leaders included former union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, former MLA G Kishan Reddy and former DGP V Dinesh Reddy.