The Archaeological Survey of India today withdrew a controversial letter it wrote to the Executive Officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams managing the famous Lord Venkateswara shrine, on the feasibility of declaring it and other sub-temples as protected monuements.
ASI Director General Usha Sharma informed the TTD executive officer (EO) Anil Singhal that the letter, written by the ASI's Amaravati Circle office in Vijayawada, was being withdrawn immediately after it caused a stir.
In addition to the Lord Venkateswara shrine, the TTD administers 12 other important temples.
The Centres move evoked sharp reaction from the Andhra Pradesh government, which said the ASI's decision gave rise to suspicions.
The BJP, however, denied any such move by the Centre and said it was only "misleading lies" being spread by "vested political groups."
"After the ASI letter came out in the open today, the DG called me over phone and said their Vijayawada office wrote the letter without her knowledge.
She clarified that the Government of India had no intention of taking over the TTD temples and I thanked her for that," Singhal told reporters in Tirumala.
In a letter to the TTD Executive Officer yesterday, the Superintending Archaeologist of ASI's Amaravati Circle in Vijayawada said a communication has been received from "our directorate" to "examine the feasibility of declaring TTD and its group of temples at Tirumala as protected monuments."
This was "keeping in view their antiquity and historicity."
The superintending archaeologist requested the TTD EO to provide information on the surrounding temples under TTD and also "cooperate with the ASI officials approaching you" to collect information and take photographs.
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K E Krishna Murthy, who is holding charge of the Endowments Department, said in a statement that the "Centre's move" to take over the TTD temples gave rise to suspicions.
He asserted that the TTD and the state government were capable of protecting the TTD as well as the temples under its control.
Reacting to the issue, BJP national spokesman and Rajya Sabha member G V L Narasimha Rao tweeted that there was no truth in reports that the Centre was mulling take over of the TTD temples.
"Minister of Culture, Govt of India (GoI) told me there is no question of GoI taking over Tirumala/TTD or any temples or mosques. Only when a state govt requests intervention, Centre considers such a request.
Please stop misleading lies being spread by vested political groups," he said in the tweet.
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