Telugu Mahila president Vangalapudi Anita has said that it is wrong to ignore Hindu traditions, being followed at Tirumala temple for ages. It has been the practice of Chief Ministers of to visit Tirumala and present ‘pattu vastrams’ to Lord Venkateswara, the presiding deity of Tirumala.
The practice of signing a declaration by those professing other faiths has been in vogue at Tirumala since 1860. The Britishers also used to abide by it, Ms. Anita told the media here on Wednesday. She recalled that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had signed the declaration, when he had visited Tirumala as an MP in 2009. She wondered what was the problem in signing the declaration now. She ridiculed the remarks by the Ministers on the issue.
She also took strong exception to the growing attacks on temples in the State. She also wondered as to why BJP leaders were placed under house arrest. She advised Minister Kodali Venkateswara Rao, to exercise restraint while speaking about religious faiths.
Ms. Anita also alleged that the ruling party leaders were making baseless remarks to divert the attention of the public from the allegations against Minister G. Jayaram’s son, who allegedly received a luxury car from an accused in the ESI scam.
