Amaravati, January 01: The YSR Congress Party made serious allegations against the TDP-led Andhra Pradesh government, accusing it of carrying out a "systematic loot" of Tirumala temple land under the guise of governance. The opposition party has claimed that the government headed by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu quietly handed over highly valuable land belonging to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) to a private hotel group through backdoor decisions and secret government orders.
According to the YSR Congress Party, around 25 acres of TTD land located at Alipiri, considered the sacred gateway to Lord Venkateswara’s temple, was transferred through a planned land exchange. The party claimed the land is worth over ₹3,000 crore in the open market, but was exchanged for nearly 24.68 acres of rural land valued at just about ₹25 crore. It alleged that this caused a huge financial loss to the temple trust.
The party further alleged that the government followed a three-step plan to carry out the transfer. First, it publicly announced the cancellation of a hotel project, saying the decision was taken to protect the sanctity of Tirumala. However, the YSR Congress Party claimed that on the same day, the government secretly approved a land exchange between the Tourism Department and TTD without proper valuation, public notice or consultation.
In the final step, the land was allegedly allotted to a private company, Svara Hotels Private Limited, which the party claims is linked to the Oberoi Group. The YSR Congress Party said this showed that the earlier "cancellation" was only a cover to mislead devotees, while the land was later handed over quietly through official orders.
The opposition party has also alleged that the TTD Board's objections were ignored. It said the board had earlier opposed the hotel project, but later reversed its stand without clear reasons, suggesting pressure from the government. The party also claimed that stamp duty worth ₹58.69 crore was waived which according to it proves that authorities were aware of the land's true value but chose to hide it in official documents.
Raising legal concerns, the YSR Congress Party alleged that the land exchange violated existing laws and government orders that protect the Tirumala–Alipiri zone from commercial activity. It claimed the move breached the public trust under which TTD manages temple properties on behalf of devotees.
Calling the issue a "betrayal of faith" rather than a political matter, the YSR Congress Party demanded immediate cancellation of the land exchange, restoration of the Alipiri land to TTD, a judicial inquiry, public disclosure of all related files and criminal cases against those responsible. The party said Tirumala is not real estate and warned that such actions could set a dangerous precedent for temple lands across the country.
The TDP-led government has not yet responded to these allegations.
