The Temples Protection Movement has appealed to Telangana, the successor State of Andhra Pradesh and the Union government that the bifurcation should not result in drawing regional boundaries for temples.
Movement convenor M.V. Soundara Rajan in a release said that they have always been advocating that temples, including the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams which attract lakhs of devotees every year, should belong to entire Telugu people.
He urged that in continuation of the above spirit, the two State governments and the Centre should ensure that the funds such as Endowments Administration Fund, Common Good fund, Archaka Welfare Fund etc., were allocated so that temples in both States were protected.
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Dr. Soundara Rajan also said that the arrears from the TTD and other major temples running into hundreds of crores towards the various funds as determined by the government-appointed committee on service issues of temple employees be claimed before any split is done in the funds.
In the future, funds from major temples like Tirumala should continue to be used for the benefit of temples in both States, he added.