The appointments to the first-ever trust board of the famed Yadagirigutta temple in Telangana appear to have become as controversial as the appointments to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board.
The Revanth Reddy government issued orders on Tuesday night appointing the Yadagirigutta Devasthanams Trust Board with individuals perceived to have political affiliations, along with industrialists and lobbyists.
The newly constituted Trust Board is headed by industrialist Manne Satyanarayana Reddy, chairman of the MSN Group, a leading pharmaceutical company.
While his appointment is generally seen as that of a prominent entrepreneur rather than an active politician, attention has been drawn to the political background of his brother, Manne Srinivasa Reddy, who previously served in public office and later represented the BRS in Parliament before losing the 2024 election.
The appointment that has generated the most political discussion is that of Konidela Surekha, wife of actor Chiranjeevi and sister-in-law of Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.
Since Pawan Kalyan heads the Jana Sena Party, an alliance partner in the Andhra Pradesh government led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, opposition parties are expected to question the political significance of her appointment.
“Chiranjeevi and his family have not had any major public association with the Yadagirigutta temple. So, the basis for including Surekha on the trust board is questionable. The move is also likely to fuel allegations by the BRS regarding the perceived political proximity between Revanth Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu,” an analyst said.
Another appointee, Swathi Kanthamani, Managing Trustee of the Natco Trust, which oversees Natco Pharma’s corporate social responsibility initiatives, has also been described as a non-political choice.
Several other members are seen as having direct or indirect political links.
Among them are Congress MLA Vinod Venkataswamy; Lakshminarayana Naik, husband of Jangaon District Congress Committee president Dhanvanthi; the wife of contractor Vijaya Rajam; and Pochaboyina Eswaramma Yadav, a former chairperson of the Karmanghat Temple Trust Board who has been associated with both the BRS and the Congress at different times.
The appointment of Vijayender, son of former home minister Devender Goud, has also attracted attention. Though Vijayender is known mainly as a social activist and chairman of the SVM Group rather than an active politician, his political family background has been noted by observers.
During the tenure of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, the Yadagirigutta temple was largely kept away from overt political appointments, despite criticism over alleged irregularities in the temple’s reconstruction, construction quality and the display of personalised symbols at the temple complex.
