Tirupati: Almost the entire Telangana government on Tuesday descended on this temple town in Andhra Pradesh as Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is all set to offer ornaments worth Rs 5.45 crore to Lord Balaji temple on Wednesday.
The Chief Minister, along with his family members, ministers and top officials arrived here by two special aircraft for the much-awaited thanksgiving trip to the Tirumala temple.
KCR, as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief is popularly known, will be making the offerings to fulfil a vow he had taken during the movement for separate Telangana state.
He will be offering gold ornaments worth Rs 5 crore to Lord Balaji and a nose-stud worth Rs 45,000 to Goddess Padmavati, both revered deities at Tirupati. The offerings have cost the state exchequer a whopping Rs 5.45 crore.
This is KCR’s first visit to the famous Tirumala temple after he became the first Chief Minister of newly created Telangana state in 2014.
On arrival at Renigunta Airport near here, the Telangana Chief Minister was accorded a warm welcome by B. Gopalakrishna Reddy, a minister in Andhra Pradesh cabinet and some MLAs of ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Later, KCR, his wife Shobha, daughter and TRS MP K. Kavitha and other family members reached Tirupati by road. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) officials received him at guest house, where he will have a night halt.
He along with his family members, ministers and officials will have ‘darshan’ at Tirumala temple on Wednesday morning. After making the offering, they will leave for Padmavati temple at Tiruchanur.
Telangana Assembly speaker Madhusudhana Chary, several ministers, Chief Secretary S.P. Singh and Chief Advisor Rajiv Sharma reached Tirupati by another special aircraft.
The ministers include KCR’s son K.T. Rama Rao and nephew Harish Rao.
–IANS