Visakhapatnam: TDP MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao demands judicial probe into lapses in Chandanotsavam

Visakhapatnam : Former minister and north constituency TDP MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao demanded a judicial inquiry into the lapses in 'Chandanotsavam' held at Simhachalam temple on Sunday.

Speaking to the media here on Monday, Ganta said the YSRCP government failed in properly conducting the major annual festival of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy. He recalled that the TDP government used to give top priority to the common devotees.

The MLA criticised the State government for its failure to appoint an Executive Officer for a major temple like Simhachalam Devasthanam.

He stated that pontiff of Visakha Sri Sarada Peetham Swaroopanandendra Saraswati himself opined that the arrangements were very poor and he never witnessed such Chandanotsavam in his life so far.

Further, Ganta said the Devasthanam Trust Board had also raised an objection over the 'Antaralaya darshan' and they wrote a letter to the Chief Minister to stop such provision but the authorities did not consider it.

He regretted over the government's inability to properly organise a one-day festival like Chandanotsavam.

Mentioning that constituting a committee alone is not enough to look into the lapses of the festival, Ganta demanded that an inquiry should be ordered with a judicial committee in a time-bound manner.

Speaking at the conference, another former minister and senior TDP leader Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy termed the recent stone pelting at TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu as a black day in democracy. He demanded that whoever was involved in the attacks should be identified and a case should be registered.

Murthy demanded the Endowments Minister to submit his resignation for the failure of Chandanotsavam.

TDP leaders Chikkala Vijayababu, P Srinu, corporators PV Narasimham and B Srinivas Rao were present at the media conference.