Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will go on pilgrimage during a break in the Budget session of the TS Assembly to fulfil his vow of offering gold ornaments to various deities on achieving statehood for Telangana.
He had earmarked a whopping Rs 5.59 crore from the Common Good Fund (CGF) of the Endowments department for the purpose. Sources said that Mr Rao, along with wife Sobha and other family members, will embark on the pilgrimage.
Mr Rao has ordered a mula varla kamalamu namuna bangaru saligrama haram (mega necklace) and five petala kante (five rounds of gold chain) costing `5 crore for Lord Venkateswara Swamy of Tirumala.
For Bhadrakali Ammavaru of famed Bhadrakali temple in Warangal district, Mr Rao ordered a 2 kg bangaru keeritam (golden crown) costing about Rs 57 lakh.
Similarly, he got a bangaru meesalu (gold moustache) prepared for Kuravi Veerabhadra Swamy of Mahbubabad, Warangal district, diamond mukku pudaka (nose ring) for Goddess Kanakadurga of Vijayawada and Goddess Padmavati, all costing Rs 2 lakh each.
Though the CM’s decision had kicked up a row and Opposition Congress leaders objecting to the CM making offerings from the state kitty instead of personal or party funds, he has remained unfazed.
