Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday assumed office in his chamber in the first block at secretariat in Amravati. Before arriving at the secretariat to take charge, he offered prayers at the Sri Venkateswara temple at nearby Tirumala, accompanied by family members. The newly elected Andhra CM accused the outgoing YSRCP government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy of commercialising the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD). He accused the government of gross miss management in the administration of the famous Hindu shrine.
“They (former state govt) commercialised Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD). Prasadam should be of good quality, rates shouldn’t be increased and tickets for ‘Darshan’ should not be sold in the black market,” he said.
The TDP chief accused the previous Andhra government of turning the religious place into a centre of ‘marijuana, liquor and non-vegetarian food’ and said that his government will start the cleansing from the Tirupati Temple.
Naidu Family Visits Tirupati Temple
Chandrababu Naidu, his wife Bhuvaneswari, son and Minister Nara Lokesh, daughter-in-law Brahmani, and grandson Devansh all offered thanksgiving prayers. The Chief Minister and his family arrived in Tirumala late on Wednesday and had an early morning darshan. They took part in various rituals led by temple priests.
When they arrived at the temple, they were greeted by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) officials, who oversee the affairs of the famous hill shrine. After the darshan, the priests blessed the Chief Minister and his family members and gave them Theertha Prasadam.
Chandrababu Naidu broke coconuts on Akhilandam, a platform in front of the temple, as a symbol of gratitude for fulfilling his wish.
A large crowd of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders and supporters had gathered at the temple to meet the Chief Minister. The TDP president took his oath as Chief Minister on Wednesday in Vijayawada. A total of 24 ministers, including Lokesh, were sworn in.
The TDP supremo led the NDA to a landslide victory in the recently held Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The alliance won 164 seats in the 175-member Assembly, as well as 21 of 25 Lok Sabha seats. The TDP won 135 Assembly and 16 Lok Sabha seats.