Printing of Christian ads on tickets against Hindu sentiments : BJP leader Lanka Dinakaran

Expressing strong reservation on printing of religious content pertaining to Christity on the back of tickets to the Tirupati temple, BJP leader Lanka Dinakaran said that it is against the sentiment of Hindu community.

"Government has not taken adequate steps to stop this kind of advertisement which is against rule and regulations and also against the Hindu sentiments," said Lanka Dinakaran on Friday.

"During the first two months of this new government, large number of incidents conversions took place in the state. It is becoming a big issue in Andhra Pradesh, but the government of Andhra Pradesh and Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy are not taking care," said Lanka Dinakaran.

"He (Jaganmohan Reddy) can practice Christity or whatever religion as per his wish but his will should not be forcibly used for conversions," said Dinakaran.

The ruling YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh got mired in a controversy as the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party tried to corner it over the alleged printing of religious content pertaining to Christity on the back of tickets to the Tirupati temple.

The state co-in charge of BJP Sunil Deodhar had alleged that the YSRCP is indulging in Christian appeasement by the printing of advertisements related to the Christian religion and that the move has hurt the feelings of the Hindu community.

The Andhra Pradesh government has, meanwhile, ordered an inquiry into the episode.

Defending the government against the allegations levelled against the CM, the state government said that the religious material printed at the back of the RTC bus on route to Tirupati was a decision taken by the TDP government.

State Endowments Minister Vellampalli Srinivas said that an inquiry into the religious material being printed on the back of tickets showed that the tenders were finalised by the previous TDP government

( With inputs from ANI )