The Temples Protection Movement has taken exception to the criticism against the donation made by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to Tirumala temple on Wednesday. TPM convener M.V. Soundararajan, in a statement here, said the donation was not made using taxpayers’ money as claimed by some, but it was out of Common Good Fund (CGF), which forms the Hindu temples’ income that is purely devotees’ money.
The TTD had, in the past, also donated crores of rupees to the fund before the bifurcation and 42 % of the same was now part of the Telangana CGF. If ₹5 crore was used to gift ornaments to the Lord, there was no need to raise a hue and cry, he said. The temples’ income was also being used to pay the salaries of the Endowment Department staff. If that was not objected to, why should the offering made by the Chief Minister be flayed, TPM members questioned.
