Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao on Wednesday donated Rs 5 crore worth gold ornaments to Lord Balaji of the Tirupati temple. According to reports, the offerings to Lord Balaji was taken out of the state exchequer and cost the taxpayers Rs 5 crore. This offering was made as per KCR’s promise during the agitations for a separate state; to make offerings to the temple if statehood was granted to Telangana. Reports suggest that the Chief Minister, along with his family and the ministers that form the entire Telangana government were present in the temple on Tuesday. KCR was the face of Telangana agitations. On Wednesday, the CM offered a ‘Saligrama Haram’, and a Kante to the Lord Venkateshawars at the temple. Rao has repeatedly been criticised for the misuse of public money for his personal deeds.

Earlier in October 2016, he had offered a 12 kg gold crown to Goddess Bhadrakali worth Rs 3.5 crore in Warangal. KCR’s extravagant spending on his spiritual needs has drawn flak from national leaders and the common folk alike, who have called on him to stop wasting the taxpayers’ money on his personal needs and start spending on the development of the state.

Telangana is the newest state in the Indian Republic and thus remains in the need for developmental projects for a better life of its subjects. The agitations for the demand of a separate state were made on the basis of a better livelihood for the people who felt that they had been treated unfairly treated in Andhra Pradesh.