Andhra Pradesh: TDP demands resignation of Endowments Minister

Amaravati: Telugu Desam Party MLC Mantena Satyanarayana Raju on Sunday demanded that Endowments Minister Vellampalli Srinivas immediately resign owning moral responsibility for the government's failure to act in the 127 attacks on temples, idols and priests in the State.

Satyanarayana also demanded the Minister to take back his highly objectionable remarks that were made against former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and former Union Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju. Vellampalli was just watching the show like a silent spectator while the desecrations and vandalisation were going on unabated at the temples in the past 19 months.

In a statement here, the TDP MLC told the Endowments Minister that he had no moral standing to criticise Naidu. Thousands of acres of temple lands were slipping into the hands of private parties and gangsters ever since Vellampalli became the Endowments Minister. His inefficiency had caused great harm to the temples and the Hindu gods in the State. Vellampalli no longer deserves to continue as the Endowments Minister.

Satyanarayana termed it as 'unfortunate' on the part of the Minister to make disrespectful remarks against Ashok Gajapathi Raju who was known for his honesty and sincerity in politics. Ashok hailed from a family that had donated Rs 14 lakh crore worth property to the temples and trusts in Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram. Out of sheer arrogance and ignorance, Vellampalli dared to use an unparliamentary word like 'vedava' (stupid) to criticise a graceful leader like Ashok Gajapati Raju.

Raju said that it was Vellampalli who was known for his dubious background of growing in politics by resorting to irregularities in the Kanaka Durga temple administration. The Endowments Minister was not able to speak even though 3 silver lions went missing from the sacred chariot of the Durga temple for many months. There were reports the minister himself was involved in the disappearance of the 3 lions.

The TDP leader said that Vellampalli did not care to visit and order a thorough inquiry into the Ramateertham incident on the first day of its occurrence.