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HomeNews ReportsAndhra Government stalls the auction of 50 properties owned by Tirupati Tirumala Temple board

Andhra Government stalls the auction of 50 properties owned by Tirupati Tirumala Temple board

Jagan Mohan Reddy-led-Andhra government had said that until a final consensus is reached on the matter, the decision to auction the property will be halted. Moreover, the Executive Director of TTD has been directed to take action and make the government aware of the development through a report.

On Monday, the Government of Andhra Pradesh had reportedly stayed the decision to auction the properties owned by Tirupati Tirumala temple, following vehement opposition from the Hindu community. The State Government had asked Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD) to reconsider their decision in light of the sentiments of the devotees. Chief Secretary Praveen Prakash has issued the order on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh government.

Jagan Mohan Reddy-led-Andhra government had said that until a final consensus is reached on the matter, the decision to auction the property will be halted. Moreover, the Executive Director of TTD has been directed to take action and make the government aware of the development through a report.

The Government has also asked senior saints to communicate with the devotees of the temple on how TTD can use temple properties for the propagation of religion, the building of temples, and other religious activities.

Andhra Pradesh government order: Prohibition on auction of property

The current political dispensation of the YSR Congress had tried to pass on the blame to the previous government. The Government argued that the board of the trustees, which decided to auction 50 properties of the temple, was constituted by the erstwhile government of Chandrababu Naidu.

The ‘Rationale’ behind the Auction

Reportedly, the properties that TTD wanted to auction were in fact donated by the devotees to the temple. The Tirupati Tirumala Temple Trust, however, decided to sell them, claiming that they were ‘non-usable’. The said properties are located in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Rishikesh. The Trust had argued that since the properties were located away from the temple, it was ‘difficult’ to manage them. Several properties had also been encroached upon by miscreants.

Several such lands are being used for agriculture and there are many houses, which are far from the temple. The temple management said that it was incompetent to take care of these properties. Both the BJP and TDP opposed the YRS Congress government against the recent decision. 

Objection to the decision of TTD

Rajya Sabha MP and RSS worker, Professor Rakesh Sinha, objected to the decision by writing a letter to the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam Board. He informed that in 2016, Chandrababu Naidu’s government took this decision. He wrote in a letter to the chairman of the trust that the Board should seek the help of devotees to manage the properties that are away from the temple. Sinha emphasised that the sentiments of devotees are attached to these temple properties.

Telugu actor turned politician Pawan Kalyan had earlier urged devotees and his party leaders to attend the hunger strike against the decision of the Andhra Pradesh Government to sell Tirupati temple property.

BJP MP from South Bengaluru, Tejasvi Surya, had urged Hindus to vehemently oppose the contentious move by the Andhra Pradesh government. Condemning the decision as ‘highly deplorable’, he asked the State BJP and actor Pawan Kalyan to fight against this issue until the Government reversed its stand.

It should be mentioned that this is not the first time that Tirupati is selling the properties of the Tirumala temple. Between 1974 and 2016, 129 such properties which were sold for auction.

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OpIndia Staffhttps://www.opindia.com
Staff reporter at OpIndia

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