The chief priest of Tirumala, AV Ramana Deekshitulu, has been heavily criticized by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for recently making a comment equating Prime Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy with Lord Vishnu.
In his tweet that went viral, Sunil Deodhar, co-manager of BJP, accused Deekshitulu of “offending God himself”. The tweet reads: “Ramana Dikshithulu, in calling an On-Bail CM (who breeds pastors who god Balaji call a Saitan) the incarnation of Vishnu, you have insulted the god himself and the crores of his followers. By licking the boot of an anti-Hindu family, you have removed the sanctity of the Pradhan Archak post in TTD. “Mr. Deodhar also added an undated photo of the Chief Minister receiving a blessing in a church, along with that of the Chief Priest. Although the tweet received over 1000 likes and 500 retweets within an hour, it still aroused the anger of the Twitterati for verging on personal slander.
Similarly, in a video released for the media, BJP state spokesman Samanchi Srinivas stated that the high priest had disappointed belief in the crores of Hindus by equating a person with the Almighty. “He might have chosen to thank the CM for the favors received, but not that way. It appears that he has decorated the YSRCP flag and has become a party spokesman, ”he noted.
Paripoornananda reacts
Chittoor Staff Reporter adds: Meanwhile, Sri Peetam’s Pope Swami Paripoornananda condemned the alleged observations made by Mr. Ramana Deekshitulu.
Speaking to the media in front of the media with the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Tirupati, Mr. Paripoornananda described the comparison of a person with the divine incarnation as a “great sin”. He said that in the past some political leaders have also taken pride in comparing their power to divine power, but that tendency would only lead to destruction.
He said Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy should answer three questions: “Why is the state government afraid of bringing the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams within the scope of the Right to Information Act? Why is the state government afraid to publish a white paper on Lord Venkateswara’s assets and jewels? When Foundation Minister V. Srinivas himself announced that 375 temples are in disrepair, isn’t it Jagan Mohan Reddy’s responsibility to protect the Hindu temples? “