Jagan Ignored MLAs’ Request, Naidu Oblige!

After the Tirupati laddoo fiasco, the YCP government is caught in a mire over its governance in Tirumala. Several people and devotees began criticizing the YCP government for not being transparent in its administration in Tirumala, even when good governance at the TTD meant respecting God and acknowledging his Supremacy.

Now, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has eased Tirumala darshan for the coterie of his party MLAs and MPs. Naidu has taken a decision to relax the number of darshans for the followers of MPs and MLAs, from four to six a week.

The elected representatives had been asking for a rise in the number of darshans at Tirumala since former CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tenure but at that time, Jagan permitted only four darshans in a week.

Neither the elected representatives nor their recommendation letters were entertained during Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Break darshans were not allowed during the weekend, under Jagan’s rule. He ignored the MLAs’s requests. The rule had not been relaxed even when the MLAs tried to explain to Jagan about its implications. There is buzz that such high-handed behavior in issues relating to Tirumala led to disreputation of Jagan’s government.

Meanwhile, the TDP leaders felt that Jagan did not allow movement of his party MLAs in Tirumala, probably, fearing that the malpractices and conspiracies of the YCP government in the TTD administration would get exposed.

In this background, the elected representatives of TDP requested Chandrababu Naidu to increase the number of darshans for their coterie and the CM responded positively.

He promised to increase the number of darshans for MLAs’ followers and give permission to their recommendation letters seeking darshan in Tirumala, for six days in a week, except Sunday.

The TDP MPs and MLAs expressed happiness over their party boss granting permission for their recommendation letters, allowing six persons have break darshan and six others have Supatham (Rs 300 ticket) darshans, every day. Granting this permission means taking people more closer to the divine but former CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy could not be liberal with allowing people go near the Lord. Neither did Jagan allow people get near him nor become close with the Lord at Tirumala. Jagan did not take any such liberal decision during his tenure, lamented a YCP activist.

TDP activists hailed Naidu for his liberal attitude in allowing more pilgrims and devotees have the darshan of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, who is considered as the ‘Kaliyuga daivam’ and ‘Akhilanda Koti Brahmanda Nayaka’.

Naidu is of the opinion that devotees should be allowed to have free darshan of the Lord without many restrictions, the TDP activists said.