Gudivada Amarnath blames A.P. government’s apathy for Tirupati stampede

Blaming the Andhra Pradesh government for the stampede at a Vaikunta Dwara Darshan token counter at Tirupati which claimed six lives on January 8, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Gudivada Amarnath on January 9 asked why did the authorities concerned failed to make adequate arrangements for the heavy influx of pilgrims for the festival.

Blaming the Andhra Pradesh government for the stampede at a Vaikunta Dwara Darshan token counter at Tirupati which claimed six lives on January 8, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Gudivada Amarnath on January 9 asked why did the authorities concerned failed to make adequate arrangements for the heavy influx of pilgrims for the festival.

He demanded an ex gratia of ₹1 crore for the kin of the deceased and ₹25 lakh for the family of the injured.

Addressing the media at the YSRCP office on January 9 (Thursday), Mr. Amarnath said that such incidents had never occurred in Tirupati, adding that official apathy and negligence had led to the incident.

“The government which always boasts of deploying modern technology for effective governance failed to use it. The TTD top officials including its Chairperson must resign,” he said.

The former Minister said that elaborate arrangements used to be made for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam during the YSRCP’s tenure, accusing the NDA government of neglecting the themple trust board.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying foundation stones for several projects in Visakhapatnam on January 8, the former Minister said that many of those projects were initiated by the previous YSRCP government.

“The previous YSRCP government toiled hard for five years for these projects and the NDA government is now publicising them for political gain,” he added.