India is largely religious and almost every citizen of the country wakes up in a neighborhood where the morning alarm is a loudspeaker at the local Mosque, Temple or any such place considered Holy. You have to give it to the Church for keeping it simple with Bells which don’t ring all that much. But these places demand a hefty fee for that wake up call, and because individual offerings aren’t enough, someone has to stand up and make things grand. And nobody else can do it better than someone whom we elect as our representative. Maybe this is how the Chief Minister of Telangana thinks.
Because he decided to use Rs five crore worth tax payers’ money to donate gold ornaments to the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateshwara near Tirumala Tirupati. The donation was made on behalf of the Telangana state to fulfill a vow the CM had taken if Telangana state was formed. When asked, why such exorbitant donations were being made, he explained that these are offering to the lord which cannot be discriminated. Accompanied by family members and some cabinet colleagues, Rao even took a special flight to visit the ancient temple. Once there, he handed over a golden garland studded with shells, called “Shaligram Haram” and a multi-layer gold necklace called “Makhara Kantabharanam,” totally weighing about 19 kg and worth about Rs 5 crore to the temple Executive Officer, D Sambasiva Rao. So now you know it was God who wanted India to be divided in 29 states, because 28 is not a good number.
After pleasing the Gods with ornaments he bought from borrowed money, Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao, the Chief Minister of Telangana said, “Have offered the Lord offerings on behalf of the State of Telangana. The ‘darshanam’ went on very peacefully. The chairman and other officers were also present with me. My relatives and other ministers from the Cabinet were here too and managed a good ‘darshanam’ of the Lord. I prayed for the well being of both the Telugu-speaking states.
This isn’t the only time Mr. Rao has stood up for humanity at the expense of someone else’s sweat and blood. Before the state of Telangana was formed, the God fearing man had made several such donations. And in return, what he only asks for himself is a few fancy cars and a posh new office while the state reels under heavy debt.
Images: Indian Express
