Currently a row is underway in andhra pradesh after the tirumala tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the affairs of the sri venkateswara temple, said that it had decided to auction 50 of its immovable properties that are 'unviable, not useful and prone to encroachment.' These immovable properties include 17 properties in rural andhra pradesh, nine in urban parts of the state, 23 in tamil Nadu besides one property spanning 1.20 acres in rishikesh, where the land has been allegedly encroached upon and illegal constructions have come up.
While the bharatiya janata party (BJP) and its ally, actor-politician pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena party (JSP) have taken up the issue, calling it an 'insult' to the sentiments of hindus, ttd has defended its decision, stating that these properties, donated by devotees, will be encroached upon if they do not act on it. The temple trust also said that the move to sell these immovable properties was proposed by the previous board, during the tenure of the N chandrababu naidu government, and a resolution in this regard was passed in 2016, said ttd Chairman YV Subba Reddy. From 1974, the board in charge of India's richest temple has been auctioning its smaller properties.
The bjp has started a campaign 'Save TTD' and 'Save Lord balaji Lands' on Social Media. "We oppose the decision of ttd to sell lands donated to lord Venkateswara by devotees. This is one decision that the jagan government must reverse," demanded rajya sabha member narasimha RAO' target='_blank' title='gvl narasimha rao-Latest Updates, Photos, Videos are a click away, CLICK NOW'>gvl narasimha rao on Social Media. Dubbing it an “insult to hindu sentiments”, bjp state president kanna lakshminarayana said, "Where do you have the right to sell TTD's assets? This is a conspiracy to undermine Hindutva." The state unit of the bjp has also called for a protest across andhra pradesh on May 26, against the decision of the TTD.
