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YSR Congress Party leaders Vellampalli Srinivas and Malladi Vishnu on Monday demanded the immediate cancellation of GO No.15, stating that it was deliberately brought to facilitate the plunder of temple lands worth thousands of crores under the pretext of leasing them to religious institutions.
After offering prayers at the Sri Kamadhenu Ammavari Temple near the Durga Ghat Road in Vijayawada, they told the media that since the formation of the coalition government, incidents of sacrilege, mismanagement, violence, and tragic accidents in temples across Andhra Pradesh have become routine, while the government has remained a mute spectator. They stated that the government has no respect for God or Hindu traditions and is interested only in temple assets, asserting that Hindu dharma is being systematically undermined under Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's rule. They said devotees are losing faith and footfall is declining due to the repeated incidents, and demanded a special law to protect archakas, who are increasingly facing attacks, threats, and humiliation. Referring specifically to the Kanaka Durga Temple, Vellampalli Srinivas said that a series of shocking incidents had deeply hurt devotees, including prolonged power cuts due to unpaid electricity bills, insects found in milk meant for sacred rituals, electric shocks to devotees near the prasadam counters, attempts to cut a birthday cake inside the temple premises, and repeated administrative lapses that have never occurred in the temple's history. He alleged that sacred customs were violated, devotees were insulted, and even basic management standards had collapsed. He also accused the TTD leadership of damaging the sanctity of Tirumala, citing deaths in queue lines due to negligence, unchecked misbehaviour inside temple premises, and a total breakdown of discipline. He questioned the silence of Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, who claims to champion Sanatana Dharma, asking whether he has no responsibility when such incidents are repeatedly occurring in major temples. Malladi Vishnu said that despite having goshalas, even the Kanaka Durga Temple is performing abhishekams with packet milk, reflecting the depth of administrative decay. He demanded that goshalas be shifted immediately to the hilltop to ensure pure milk is used for rituals, warning of agitation along with devotees if this is not done. He alleged that the coalition government has set its sights on massive temple land banks across the state, citing attempts to alienate hundreds of acres belonging to temples in Tiruvuru and to appropriate prime lands of the Godugupeta Venkateswara Swamy Temple under the guise of exhibitions and development, all of which were stalled only due to YSRCP's intervention. He said GO No.15 is a calculated policy weapon to legally hand over valuable temple lands to chosen entities and demanded its immediate withdrawal. Both leaders reiterated that temple hundis, archakas, rituals, and devotees are no longer safe under the present government, and that unless GO No.15 is scrapped and strict corrective measures are taken, the YSRCP will intensify its agitation statewide. (ANI)
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