AP's new CM Naidu expresses concerns over sorry state of affairs at Tirumala

TIRUPATI: A day after being formally sworn-in as the new chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Nara Chandrababu Naidu held his maiden press conference after completing the darshan of Lord Venkateswara at the iconic Tirumala temple on Thursday morning.
Speaking to reporters at the Gayatri Nilayam guest house at Tirumala on Thursday, the new CM said Naidu's 4.0 regime has just begun and appealed to all employees and the people to pledge support to undo the damage done by the YSRCP regime on all fronts and to steer forward the state onto progress on all fronts.
"The YSRCP regime has caused extensive damage to the Amaravati capital dreams and the Polavaram project. The progress of the state came to a standstill in the last five years and now as the TDP led NDA alliance assumed office, establishment of Amaravati as the state capital and completion of the Polavaram project, which is the lifeline for Andhra Pradesh, will be our top priority", Naidu asserted.
Stating that the people of Andhra Pradesh had given the TDP led NDA alliance a historical mandate, unheard of in the history of the state, the Chief minister thanked the people for pledging outright support to the NDA alliance in the 2024 elections.
"People voted for us with a hope that we will bring a turnaround from the extensive damage done to the state by the YSRCP govt. We have literally been pushed back by 30 odd years on various fronts. The road ahead will not be easy but we are supremely confident of fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the state and provide a hope for revival for such marginalized sections of the society which were shattered completely for various reasons during the YSRCP regime", the chief minister reaffirmed.
"Apart from creation of wealth, zero poverty is going to be one of the too agendas of the NDA govt, and we are sure that this can be achieved with the cooperation of the BJP led NDA govt at the centre. My dream eventually is to see Andhra Pradesh as the number one state in the country on all fronts by 2047 and I'm confident that a platform will be laid in the next five years for us to reach that goal", Naidu asserted.
Shifting his focus on TTD, Naidu expressed concerns over the sorry state of affairs on the world renowned Tirumala hill town over the last five years.
"The quality of Naivedya prasadams and Anna prasadams have declined at Tirumala much to the anguish of the devotees. The tranquil and spiritual atmosphere on the hill town has taken a severe beating due to a series of regenerating acts such as taking the professional deities of Lord Venkateswara Swamy to the very doorsteps of the powerful and the influential for personal and political favours", CM rued.
Unfortunately Lord Venkateswara was converted into a commodity due to the greed of a few and such acts cannot be pardoned. People after getting postings here have gone to the extent of misusing their office for lobbying even in court cases," Naidu lamented.
CM expressed concerns that while consumption of non vegetarian food, alcohol and other intoxicating things were prohibited at Tirumala, they were all available almost at free-will during the last five years.
"There is a firm belief in Chittoor that unlike other Hindu deities, if you commit an act of unpardonable sacrilege at Tirumala, Lord Venkateswara will punish you severely within your lifetime. And persons and officials who were responsible for numerous sacrileges during the last five years, will meet the same fate too", the new CM warned.
Recalling his decades long association with Tirumala, Naidu underlined that the aura of Tirumala-which is hailed as the Bhuloka Vaikunta is unparalleled when compared to any Hindu shrine in the entire world and vowed that the TDP govt will take up the exercise the streamlining of the state from Tirumala itself.
"It is true that several pilgrim services were completely commercialized in the TTD in the last few years. All these issues will also be addressed too in the near future as our focus now will be on showcasing Tirumala as one of the finest centres of Hindu pilgrimage in the world by re-instilling the confidence among the devotees worldwide", Naidu asserted.
CM also underlined that the new govt will also encourage establishment of new Lord Venkateswara temples across the country to spearhead the propagation of the Hindu Sanathana Dharma and the glory of Lord Venkateswara Swamy in a much bigger way.
Answering to a question, Naidu said the new govt will not resort to vendetta politics and not take any revenge on its political adversary, but that officials and others who were guilty of unlawful or vengeanceful acts against the TDP and other parties during the last five years will not be spared and will be dealt with appropriately according to the legal and constitutional provisions.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Tirumala temple Chief priest A Venugopala Deekshitulu along with the TTD officials led by JEO V Veerabrahmam, accorded the traditional "Isthikapal" welcome at the Tirumala temple main entrance to chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on his maiden arrival in the capacity as the new CM of the state.
After worshipping the presiding deity inside the sanctum Santorum, Naidu and his other family members including his wife Nara Bhuvaneswari, son and minister Nara Lokesh, daughter in law Nara Brahmani and grandson Nara Devansh, reached the Ranganayakula Mandapam, where they were rendered Vedasirvachanam by the veda pundits.
The new chief minister and his family members also worshipped at Goddess Padmavathi Ammavari temple at Tiruchanoor before returning back to the state capital on Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Piyush Goyal, who was also visiting the Tirumala temple, had a brief interaction with the AP CM inside the hill temple on Thursday.