Stop politicising Antarvedi issue, Ministers tell Chandrababu Naidu
Endowments Minister Vellampalli Srinivas addressing media at YSRCP central office at Tadepalli on Saturday
Amaravati: Endowments minister Vellampalli Srinivas lambasted opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu for politicising the Antarvedi fire mishap by encouraging protests at temples and warned of strict action against those who try to cause inconvenience to devotees or disturb temple tranquility.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters at Tadepalli here on Saturday, the minister said that the state government has ordered CBI inquiry into the fire mishap at Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Antarvedi.
He slammed opposition leaders Chandrababu Naidu, Somu Veeraju of BJP, and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan for politicising the issue and trying to create strife in the state. The minister dared the opposition leaders to reveal details of the fire mishap at Gopala Swamy temple in K Pentapadu that occurred on October 19, 2017, during TDP regime. The 70-year-old historical chariot was destroyed in a fire accident, but neither the BJP leaders nor TDP government ordered an inquiry and no one raised the incident and no action was taken against the officials concerned, he recalled.
The previous government failed to reconstruct the chariot and locals have built it on their own. He asked whether Naidu or Somu Veeraju shall take the responsibility of Pentapadu incident and resign from their posts.
He accused the TDP of deliberately politicising the issue in order to provoke people on communal lines. Heurged devotees and the general public to not believe in social media canards being carried out by TDP. "I appeal to all the devotees, swamijis (sages) and the public at large to not believe in Naidu-promoted social media canards. Those are all fabrications," he alleged.
The TDP does not have any respect towards Hindu religion, where Naidu even performed rituals wearing shoes but is now playing the Hindutva card taking advantage of the protests by Hindu groups, he said.
"The sins of Naidu don't get cleansed even after going to numerous temples," he said.