YS Jagan Criticizes Coalition Government's Handling of Tirupati Stampede Incident
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy strongly criticized the Andhra Pradesh state government, led by the coalition under N. Chandrababu Naidu, over its response to the recent stampede incident in Tirupati. The incident, which occurred at the renowned Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), resulted in the tragic death of six devotees, a first of its kind in the temple’s history. Jagan expressed outrage, alleging that the government’s approach in dealing with those responsible was "extremely callous and malicious."
Jagan accused the coalition government of negligence, stating that several key officials, including the TTD Chairman, Executive Officer (EO), Additional EO, District Collector, and Superintendent of Police (SP), were directly responsible for the incident due to their failure to manage the situation properly. He further alleged that the state administration ignored these lapses and failed to take any serious action against the officials involved.
The YSRCP leader claimed that from January 6 to January 8, police forces were diverted for Chandrababu Naidu’s political visit to Kuppam, leaving the temple town inadequately secured. He pointed out that although the inquiry found lapses on the part of senior TTD officials, the government had merely transferred a few officials instead of suspending or arresting those directly responsible. Jagan criticized the suspension of unrelated personnel, calling it a superficial response by the government.
“The Chief Minister seems to have taken token action and is portraying it as a severe punishment,” Jagan remarked. He also expressed dismay at the Deputy Chief Minister's casual apology over the incident, questioning whether an apology alone could compensate for the loss of six lives.
“Is an apology enough for the families of those who died? Is this how the government values the devotees of Lord Venkateswara?” Jagan asked, demanding that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister take sincere and decisive action. He urged them to act with integrity and ensure strict legal action is taken against the TTD Chairman, EO, Additional EO, District Collector, and SP to prevent such incidents in the future.
Concluding his statement, Jagan warned that failure to take appropriate action would invite global outrage from devotees of Lord Venkateswara. “Prove your devotion to the Lord by punishing those responsible, or be prepared to face the anger of devotees worldwide,” he tweeted.
