KCR’s Thanksgiving at Tirumala will cost Telangana over 5 crores

Mangalore Today News Network

Hyderabad, Feb 21, 2017:  Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao’s thanksgiving trip to the Tirumala temple tomorrow will cost the taxpayer Rs. 5.6 crore. Mr Rao, his family and his ministers will travel to Lord Balaji’s temple this evening for the vow he had taken during his campaign for a separate Telangana. The Chief Minister had pledged ornaments to various gods and goddesses in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh if his mission succeeded.

Mr Rao aka KCR is expected to present a solid gold ornament to Lord Balaji and a nose-stud to Goddess Padmavati, both revered deities at Tirupati. Later this week, he will present a moustache of pure gold to the Veerabhadraswamy temple at Kuravi.

The Chief Minister will take a special flight to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh for the Tirumala visit. Since Telangana was born in 2014, the government has picked up the tab for "gold offerings" at various temples even though Mr Rao took a personal pledge. A committee of three was also set up to oversee the making of the ornaments.

In an installment of his thank-you journeys in October, KCR presented a nearly 12 kg gold crown worth Rs. 3.5 crore to the Goddess Bhadrakali at Warangal. The Telangana government commissioned a prominent Hyderabad jeweller to make the crown.

Earlier, a crown and necklace was presented to Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala and a nose stud to goddess Kanaka Durga in Vijayawada.
NDTV had earlier reported how crores were spent in a religious ceremony for Mr Rao in December 2015. Facing criticism for the extravagance at a time the fledgling state’s finances were wobbly, he clarified that his personal funds and "contributions from well-wishers" went into the event.

The criticism has not really stopped the Chief Minister in his tracks. In November, he moved into a palatial new home spread over nine acres in the heart of Hyderabad. It includes a theatre for 250, homes for senior government officials and some offices.

The Vaastu-enabled building was originally meant to cost 35 crores, but the final bill was reportedly closer to 50 crores.