‘It's a step in the wrong direction’

Academics and rationalist organisations in Telangana have reacted sharply to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s declaration that the State secretariat would be shifted to Erragadda for ‘Vaastu’ compliance.

‘Hand it over to godmen’

“If vaastu is the basis for administration, you scrap such democracy, and hand it over to god-men. Telangana people fought for democracy, dignity, and self-rule, but now the struggle is lost to a feudal lord whose decisions the Cabinet approves without demur,” fumes Sujatha Surepally, assistant professor from the Sathavahana University, who was active in the Telangana movement.

K.L. Kantha Rao from the Jana Vignana Vedika seeks to know if the ‘Vaastu’ is unfavourable to the Chief Minister or to the people.

“Any Chief Minister shall have to come back to people after five years to seek votes. Does Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao believe that he will rule for forty years if vaastu is good?” he questions.

‘Vaastu Shastra’ is unscientific and theorisations by different self-styled vaastu proponents are contradictory, says Mr. Kantha Rao, who has studied and written extensively on the subject.

President of the Jana Chaitanya Vedika V. Lakshman Reddy terms such “superstitious” decisions as detrimental to the constitutional spirit. It amounts to wasting public money in the name of unscientific beliefs, he says.

Bestowing contracts

Padmaja Shaw, Professor from Osmania University, finds the statement “offensive and objectionable” and says Mr. Rao was merely hiding behind vaastu whereas the real project was to bestow his relatives and friends with contracts.

Instead of being shifted, the chest hospital can be strengthened through better facilities and staffing, and developed into a general hospital to serve people beyond Erragadda, she says, and terms Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao’s project as standard political ploy to kill public institutions.

Any Chief Minister shall have to come back to people after five years to seek votes. Does Mr. Rao believe that he will rule for forty years if vaastu is good?”

K.L. Kantha Rao,Jana Vignana Vedika

‘Hand it over to godmen’

“If vaastu is the basis for administration, you scrap such democracy, and hand it over to god-men. Telangana people fought for democracy, dignity, and self-rule, but now the struggle is lost to a feudal lord whose decisions the Cabinet approves without demur,” fumes Sujatha Surepally, assistant professor from the Sathavahana University, who was active in the Telangana movement.

K.L. Kantha Rao from the Jana Vignana Vedika seeks to know if the ‘Vaastu’ is unfavourable to the Chief Minister or to the people.

“Any Chief Minister shall have to come back to people after five years to seek votes. Does Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao believe that he will rule for forty years if vaastu is good?” he questions.

‘Vaastu Shastra’ is unscientific and theorisations by different self-styled vaastu proponents are contradictory, says Mr. Kantha Rao, who has studied and written extensively on the subject.

President of the Jana Chaitanya Vedika V. Lakshman Reddy terms such “superstitious” decisions as detrimental to the constitutional spirit. It amounts to wasting public money in the name of unscientific beliefs, he says.

Bestowing contracts

Padmaja Shaw, Professor from Osmania University, finds the statement “offensive and objectionable” and says Mr. Rao was merely hiding behind vaastu whereas the real project was to bestow his relatives and friends with contracts.

Instead of being shifted, the chest hospital can be strengthened through better facilities and staffing, and developed into a general hospital to serve people beyond Erragadda, she says, and terms Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao’s project as standard political ploy to kill public institutions.

Any Chief Minister shall have to come back to people after five years to seek votes. Does Mr. Rao believe that he will rule for forty years if vaastu is good?” - K.L. Kantha Rao,Jana Vignana Vedika