Telanga CM under flak

Hyderabad, Feb 22: Telanga Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s Rs.5.59 crore offering to Lord Venkateswara temple to fulfil his vow has came under flak from opposition parties, who termed it a “splurge of public money”. KCR, along with his family members, ministers and officials, Wednesday offered orments worth Rs 5 crore to Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh to fulfil the vow he had taken during the movement for a separate Telanga state. The Chief Minister also made another offering at Padmavathi temple.

KCR, his family members, ministers and officials had reached Tirupati by special aircraft on Tuesday. Temple officials said this reminded them of the days when kings of princely states used to travel with their entourage to make the offerings.

His thanksgiving trip to the two famous temples in Tirupati and the offerings which cost a whopping Rs 5.59 crore to state exchequer, has not gone down well with the opposition parties and other critics.

Interestingly, when KCR was making the offerings in Tirupati to fulfill his vow, unemployed youth and students were on streets in Hyderabad demanding that he fulfill his poll promise of one lakh jobs.

The protestors clashed with police at few places in the city as police foiled the rally of the unemployed called by Telanga Joint Action Committee (TJAC).

TJAC leader M. Kodandaram, who fought for Telanga state with KCR but is now a major critic of TRS chief, leaders of opposition parties and student groups were arrested. Leaders of main opposition Congress demanded that KCR stop wasting public money on his religious beliefs. Senior leader M. Sashidhar Reddy said it was not good on part of a Chief Minister to make such an offering with public money. (IANS)