‘Never Saw Someone Changing Father’s Name Frequently’

The MANSAS Trust has been creating ripples in the Gajapathi Raju family, since Sanchaita had become its chairperson. Recently, former Union minister and TDP leader Ashok Gajapathi Raju made some sensational comments against Sanchaita. Are there anyone who can change their fathers, he asked hinting at Sanchaita.

Speaking to mediapersons, he said: “You are posting who your father is on the social media. Your posts on social media reflect your personality. It is my ill-fate to answer queries made in social posts made by somebody else. I have never seen children changing their father’s name frequently. They do not know who the father is and who is their grandfather. Sanchaita had never met her grandfather at least once. People who never visited the temples where their ancestors worshipped have begun eyeing those assets and it is unfortunate.”

He said that MANSAS Trust chairperson post has not been created by the government. The government had been autocratic in appointing a person in the post. The appointment was made in contradiction of the norms and traditions. It is really horrific to know that the government would decide who should stay in which family. It is even more unfortunate that the government itself is planning to grab the assets of those temples which can earn income to the Trust, he said and lamented that the endowments laws were not being implemented in the state.

He said that Sanchaita had never visited any of the 105 temples under the Trust’s purview. She would have known how my father or my elder brother carried themselves if she would have moved with them when they visited the temples, he said. My elder brother had been the chairperson of the Trust for 21 years, he reminded.

He suggested that Sanchaita should work hard and try to create a niche for herself than act by hearing to someone else’s words. During the Britishers’ rule, they tried to take away all our estates when my grandfather was there and send my father and my uncle to their country for trial. However, we got justice when my grandfather himself argued in that case.

“Now, the Britishers are gone but there are indigenous “nalla doralu” who are creating all sorts of troubles,” he said. They are trying to kill the Constitution and even the laws.”

The government should remember that management of temples is something different and not play with the sentiments of the people, he said.

Nearly in 35 temples, there are no “dhoopa deepa naivedyam” rituals happening for the last few years, even before I became the chairperson. I asked the government about it. To ensure that the rituals happen and the temple trust board meetings are held in all the temples, six groups were formed and our attempts bore some fruit.

“The daily rituals in all the temples began after the formation of six groups. There are thousands of temples in our state and the government is not able to manage the affairs with just 230 hereditary trustees of the temples. The government should learn to act in coordination with the trusts,” he said.