-Blames TTD for stampede in queue lines
-Tirumala being seen as a ‘source of income’
AMARAVATI: TDP National President and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday expressed serious concern over ‘harrowing problems’ faced by devotees in getting ‘sarva darshan’ tokens in Tirumala.
Naidu strongly criticised the TTD for not providing any facilities for the women, children and elderly people who were waiting in long queue lines.
In a statement here, the TDP chief expressed anguish over the stampede that caused injuries to some devotees in ‘sarva darshan’ queue lines. The TTD did not take any preventive steps considering the expected increase in devotees’ arrivals.
Naidu asked what the TTD was doing when thousands of pilgrims along with their infants and children were waiting in queue lines for hours together. It was atrocious that drinking water and shade were not provided to the multitudes of devotees waiting for darshan tickets.
Chandrababu Naidu deplored that from the beginning, the TTD has been taking such decisions that were creating a distance between the God and his devotees at Tirumala. Undue negligence was being shown in providing darshan and accommodation.
The TDP chief said the TTD was looking at the Tirumala shrine as solely a source of income generation but not as a devotional centre. The devotees’ sentiments were being greatly hurt by imposing sanctions on their visit to the God’s abode.
Naidu demanded the TTD to tender an apology to the devotees and take all the required steps to prevent such untoward incidents in future.
