The A.P. Sadhu Parishat has accused the government of planning to grab the Simhachalam temple lands.
The appointment of Sanchaita Gajapathi Raju, daughter of Pusapati Ananda Gajapathi Raju, as chairperson of the Simhachalam Devasthanam Trust Board was a step in that direction, parishat chairman Sivananda Saraswathi told the media here on Sunday.
“Ms. Sanchaita is being used as a pawn in the political game,” he alleged.
“Where was the need to issue a late-night GO making Ms. Sanchaita chairperson and removing the hereditary trustee, P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, from the post? There are 105 temples under the purview of the devasthanam and 1,300 acres of land under the MANSAS Trust,” the parishat chairman said.
Stating that there was no such precedence, he said the move was aimed at grabbing lands belonging to the temple.
It was wrong to hand over the reins to a person who had no knowledge of the temple’s traditions and customs, the parishat chairman said. “How can a person who imbibed western culture protect Indian traditions and culture?” he asked.
‘Panchagramalu’ issue
BJP representative Sri Ram said that a ‘Save Simhachalam’ call was given by the party four months ago, and the time was ripe to prevent the government from interfering in the affairs of Hindu temples.
He also alleged that in the name of providing a solution to the ‘panchagramalu’ lands issue, attempts were being made to grab them.
RSS representative Radhakrishna said the developments had created a turmoil in the Pusapati family. He demanded that the G.O. appointing Ms. Sanchaita as chairman of the temple trust board be cancelled.
