Andhra Pradesh BJP president P.V.N. Madhav recently launched a scathing attack on the YSR family, accusing them of consistently exhibiting hostility towards the Hindu faith. During a press conference, Madhav specifically highlighted and condemned the statements made by Congress State president Y.S. Sharmila regarding temple construction.
Madhav asserted that Ms. Sharmila’s comments unmistakably revealed a “pronounced bias against cherished Hindu traditions.” He went on to demand that top Congress leaders, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, publicly apologize for these remarks. He further alleged that Sharmila’s characterization of temple construction funded by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) as an “RSS agenda” was deeply offensive to Hindu sentiments and demonstrated a profound lack of understanding of temple administration and religious practices.
Challenging her sincerity, Madhav questioned, “Has Ms. Sharmila ever visited temples in her life?” He controversially claimed that while she and her husband have been involved in religious conversion activities, she now paradoxically opposes the allocation of temple funds for the very purpose of building temples.
In response to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s recent announcement to build approximately 5,000 temples using TTD funds, Madhav questioned why the YSR family would object to such an initiative. He rhetorically asked, “If TTD resources are genuinely utilized for constructing temples, supporting religious institutions, and funding daily worship services, why should this cause them any concern?”
Madhav continued by stating that the YSR family has a documented history of undermining Hindu temples. He recalled a contentious government order issued concerning the Tirumala hills during Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s leadership. Furthermore, he pointed out that under Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s administration, numerous incidents of temple desecration and attacks were reported. “It is evident that the YSR family has consistently displayed an adversarial stance towards Hindu temples from the very beginning,” he alleged.
He also sharply criticized the spending priorities of the TTD during the YSR Congress Party’s governance. Madhav specifically mentioned that while 434 rooms in Tirumala were controversially demolished at an estimated cost of ₹600 crore, vital temple construction and maintenance were reportedly neglected.