Lokesh’s PA accused of misusing power, facilitating excessive VIP darshans in Tirumala

IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh’s assistant has been accused of misusing his authority by facilitating numerous VIP darshans in complete disregard to norms at the Srivari Temple in Tirumala.  

It has been alleged that Lokesh’s PA Sambasiva Rao has been sending numerous recommendation letters to the TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) Joint Executive Officer (JEO) under the guise of PS to CM. While each Minister is allowed to accept only two recommendation letters per day for providing VIP darshan to devotees, Sambasiva Rao has been facilitating more than 12 VIP darshans per day.

The TDP-led NDA government has been accused of facilitating over 5,000 VIP darshans each day, ignoring the hardships that common devotees often face while waiting for hours together in queues to get one glimpse of Lord Venkateswara Swamy.

YSRCP leader and former TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy criticized the coalition government for allowing VIP darshan in such large numbers.

Citing Tirupati MP M Gurumoorthy’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting security lapses at the sacred Tirumala over the last nine months, Bhumana alleged that anti-social activities are on the rise, with people found carrying alcohol, non-vegetarian food and ganja on the hill.

He charged Lokesh’s PA with running a business by facilitating VIP darshans in large numbers. He claimed that the previous YSRCP government only allowed 4,000 VIP darshans in a day as against 8,000 by the current NDA government. It may be pointed out that an average of more than 60,000 devotees offer prayers at the Tirumala temple daily.

Recalling Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s promise to protect Hindu Dharma, the former TTD chief sought to know why the actor-politician was not speaking on the rampant rise of anti-social activities on the Tirumala hill.