Telangana parties flays KCR’s ‘image’ on temple pillars

Hyderabad, Sep 6 (IANS) Alleged inscription of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao's images on the Yadadri temple pillars has riled the opposition, which alleged KCR, as he is popularly known, was trying to portray himself as the god.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress took a serious note of some media reports that pillars being readied as part of renovation of Telangana's biggest temple have the Chief Minister's images inscribed on them.

Raja Singh, lone BJP member of the Assembly, tweeted the pictures of the pillars with KCR's images inscribed on them and alleged that KCR's statues were being carved in the temple. "KCR projecting himself as god. If the statues are not removed, the people of Telangana know how to remove them," he said.

In a video, Singh also alleged that 'car', symbol of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), was also carved on the pillars.

Terming it a shameful act, the BJP legislator said, KCR should apologise to the people. "The temple is not property of any party. You are not developing it from your money. It's people's money," he said.

Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Yadgirigutta is the biggest temple in the state and is often called Telangana's Tirupati. After formation of Telangana, KCR renamed Yadgirigutta as Yadadri and announced Rs 1,800 crore plan to develop the hill temple.

Taking on the Chief Minister, Congress leader Gudur Narayana Reddy said KCR was trying to portray himself as a 'demi god'. Getting pictures inscribed on pillars of the temple was highly condemnable, he said and added the Yadadri temple was being renovated with public money and not KCR's personal wallet.

"He (KCR) must realise that he is just a public representative and not a king. No one can tamper with the sanctity of temples and equate themselves with gods," he said. On inscription of TRS poll symbol car, he said, "This is absolutely unconstitutional and an attempt to mix religion with politics."

The Congress leader alleged that KCR had spent crores of public money to honour the wishes he made at various temples and other religious places.

"While it's not wrong to be religious, such expenditure should be done from personal purse and not with public money," Narayana Reddy said and demanded that the entire money spent on religious ceremonies by KCR and his family should be reimbursed to the public exchequer.

"KCR is just an ordinary human being and a politician who is facing serious allegations of corruption. He can't misuse his position as the Chief Minister to present himself as a demi god," Narayana Reddy said.