: The YSR Congress has demanded that the State government cancel the auction of temple lands pertaining to Sadavarthi Satram located in Tamil Nadu as it was conducted in violation of established procedures and guidelines.
The party on Tuesday alleged that the lands were given away in an open auction for pittance to benefit the people at higher level in the government and the ruling Telugu Desam Party. The YSRC would raise the issue at all forums to mount pressure on the government to cancel the auction.
The YSR Congress is exploring legal options and has decided to address letters to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party would raise the issue with the Governor too.
Preliminary report
YSRC leader Dharmana Prasada Rao, who headed the fact-finding committee that toured Tamil Nadu to ascertain whether necessary guidelines and procedures were followed during the auction, submitted the preliminary report to the party leadership. In the normal course, the government should obtain clearance from the Finance and Law departments and get the approval of the State Cabinet in addition to informing the Governors of the two States.
The High Court should also be informed about the auction of the land as it was given for a specific purpose, education of poor Brahmins in the present instance. None of the procedures were followed by the government which auctioned the land, located close to the IT corridor, to favour a few. The land was sold at a price lower than the reserve price on the pretext that there were no bidders. Only a select few participated in the auction and walked away with lands worth Rs. 6.5 crore for a meagre Rs. 27 lakh. Mr. Prasada Rao, who briefed media about the visit of the fact-finding committee to Guntur where the temple was located and the interaction with the people, criticised Mr. Chandrababu Naidu for maintaining stoic silence on the issue which was also highlighted by the BJP and the Congress.
