It is an open secret that the post of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams trust board member is a very prestigious and is in high demand.
Reason: it would get an opportunity for a member to get into the proximity of Lord Venkateshwara whenever he wants and at the same, it gives powers to him or her to have control over the huge wealth of the Tirumala temple.
Moreover, becoming a TTD trust board member is also a very prestigious for anybody, mostly politicians. There is a huge demand for the post even from industrialists.
After the new government of YSR Congress party took over last month, there has been intense lobbying for these posts.
Though Jagan has appointed his uncle Y V Subba Reddy as the TTD trust board chairman, he has not made up his mind on the appointment of other board members.
This has led to some people spreading rumours for the last few days the TTD trust board member posts are up for sale.
According to these rumours, each TTD board member post was being sold for Rs 4 crore. Ironically, such rumours are emanating from YSRC sources themselves.
However, enquiries revealed that there is absolutely no truth in these reports. In fact, Jagan has not asked any of his party leaders, including the newly-appointed TTD chairman, to suggest names for the TTD member posts.
Instead, he has kept the cards close to his chest and has not disclosed any names so far.
“He is selecting right people for the TTD member posts. It is purely his decision and he is not involving anybody else in the selection. So, there is no question of offering the posts for a price,” a YSRC leader close to the chief minister said.
