Fulfilling his vow to goddess Kanaka Durga, for ‘granting’ statehood to Telangana, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, on behalf of the Telangana people, offered a nose stud to the deity on Wednesday.
KCR, accompanied by his wife and family members, visited the Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada, where he offered his prayers to the deity and then donated the nose stud to the temple. Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Rao, TRS party leader Keshava Rao and Vice-Chairman of Mission Bhagiratha V Prashant Reddy were also part of the temple visit.
Before Telangana statehood was achieved, KCR had prayed to several gods and goddesses. Once it was declared a separate state, he went back to the temples and donated gold ornaments.
The Cabinet had approved and allocated Rs 5.59 crore budget from the state exchequer to fulfill the oaths taken by the CM, which was slammed by the Opposition and critics.
Of the total Rs 5.59 crore, the government had allocated Rs 5 crore worth gold jewelry for Sri Venkateshwara Swamy at Tirumala, Rs 59 lakh towards a 2-kg golden crown for the Bhadrakali Ammavaru temple in Warangal, a nose stud, worth Rs 45,000, for goddess Padmavathi Ammavaru at Tiruchannuru,a nose stud to goddess Kanaka Durga at Kanaka Durga temple and a golden moustache to the deity at the Kuravi Veerabhadra Swamy temple in Mahabubabad.
In October 2016, he presented a 11.7-kg gold crown to Goddess Bhadrakali at Warangal, during the nine-day Dasara festival, unfazed by the trenchant criticism, and later continued his 'holy' tour to appease the gods by presenting a golden moustache to Lord Veerabhadra Swamy in Telangana which cost Rs 60,000.
Earlier in December 2015, the CM drew flak from several quarters after he conducted a 'Ayutha Chandi Maha Yagam,' to please the gods, even as the state was reeling under a severe agrarian crisis.
However, KCR had claimed that the expenses, which ran up to Rs 6 crore, had been paid by his family and well-wishers, and no government money was utilised.