Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Seediri Appala Raju on Thursday kicked up a controversy by demanding privileged darshan for his entire entourage comprising more than 125 members.
Mr. Raju came under severe criticism for demanding darshan tickets of such astronomical number at a time when the temple town still reeled under the impact of heavy crowds and the pilgrims forced to spend protracted waiting hours in the darshan lines.
Though the TTD authorities tried to explain him that it was not fair and that it would hurt the sentiments of the devout, Mr. Raju stuck to his demand.
Left with no other option, the officials heeded to his request and sanctioned him the desired number of darshan tickets.
It was also alleged that Mr. Raju stayed inside the temple even after having darshan to ensure that “privileged treatment” was meted out to his entourage.
However, TTD officials remained tight-lipped over the issue.
