Vellampalli slams TDP, JSP

Amaravati: Endowments Minister Vellampalli Srinivas and others YSRCP leaders stated that the TDP and Jana Sena have been misleading the public on sand, religion and English medium in the schools, at a press conference at party office on Saturday.

Srinivas said it was a blatant move to divert people's attention from the welfare programmes introduced by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The Minister said that the parties have been trying to whip religious passions to gain political mileage, as they were unable to digest the growing popularity of Chief Minister.

They have been raising issues with religious sentiments and are trying to tarnish the image of Chief Minister but they will fail in their efforts, he stated.

'It is unfortunate that Opposition Leader N Chandrababu Naidu and Jena Sena president Pawan Kalyan are trying to ignite religious sentiments by making false allegations against the government and the Chief Minister', he said.

Chandrababu Naidu was losing grip as 15 out of 23 MLAs absconded from his sand Deeksha and even MPs knocking at other party doors, the Minister blamed.

"There is a talk that Naidu was trying to merge his party into the BJP. He has been making irrelevant allegations against the Chief Minister that he was allowing propagation of other religions at Hindu religious places", he added.

The allegations of religious propagation on RTC tickets at Tirumala and the painting at Bavani islands were done during the previous TDP government itself, he claimed.

With reference to the allegation that a temple was demolished in Guntur, he said alternative land was already provided to the temple committee and a new temple had been constructed there.

He said the government would not hesitate to take criminal action against people who make such false allegations.

Meanwhile, YSRCP MLA Malladi Vishnu said the Chief Minister was doing all that was possible to uphold religious traditions like priests being granted hereditary rights by enacting GO No. 76 and Rs 234 crore being granted by the government for the maintenance of temples.