Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board Chairman B. R. Naidu on Friday dismissed the demand made by Jana Sena Party chief and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan for an unconditional apology to the families of the Tirupati stampede victims.
Earlier in the day, at Pithapuram, Pawan Kalyan, who had already issued a public apology to the families of the stampede victims, demanded a similar apology from B. R. Naidu, Executive Officer Shyamala Rao, and Additional EO Venkayya Chowdary.
He alleged that the TTD management had failed miserably in managing the crowd during the distribution of Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan tickets and accused the TTD leadership of lacking accountability.
However, the TTD chairman argued that tendering an apology to the victims’ families would make little difference.
“It was an unfortunate incident, and some errors occurred during the issuance of tickets. The judicial inquiry will reveal how it happened and who is responsible,” he said.
B. R. Naidu added that while there is nothing inherently wrong with apologizing to the victims’ families, it would not change the outcome or bring back the deceased.
“Just because someone has asked for it, there is no meaning in offering an apology,” he said.
In the morning, Pawan Kalyan emphasized the importance of accountability.
“One must have the virtue of responding when something goes wrong. That’s why I responded to the Tirupati stampede incident and sincerely apologized. One must know how to respond and where to respond,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister also pointed out that even the Prime Minister of Japan once apologized for a mistake he did not commit.
“The TTD Chairman and members must hold a press conference and apologize. When I apologized, why should you hesitate? If you claim it’s not your fault, how is it mine? Should I alone be held responsible?” he questioned.
