NELLORE: Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi has refused to comment on AIADMK losing power in the just concluded Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

Asked to comment on Jayalalithaa's electoral reversal in the just concluded Assembly polls, the pontiff simply smiled and parried all questions related to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. The seer was here to offer prayers to Lord Sri Venugopala Swamy at Moolapeta.

According to some of his followers, the seer does not want to drag himself into another controversy.

"Sri Sankara Jayendra Saraswathi once commented that Jayalalithaa had lost last general elections due to her ego and her vindictiveness towards the Swamy started after the statement," he claimed.

Hindu sentiments

The pontiff, however spoke on alleged preaching by Christian missionaries at Tirumala. It should not have happened at a Hindu religious place, as it would hurt the sentiments of the entire Hindu community, the seer said.

Condemning the alleged preaching, he claimed that if such incidents recur, devotees would take up a movement to check these kinds of `unwarranted' activities at the hill shrine.

"The missionaries have every right to propagate the message of Jesus Christ but not at other religious places like Tirumala as it would vitiate the religious atmosphere," he explained.

Government control

Taking exception to the Government's control over Hindu temples, Jayendra Saraswathi said that there was need to create awareness among devotees on the state of thousands of temples.

Formation of Dharmik mandals to administer temples besides delinking them from the Endowments Department were some of the measures that can bring back glory to thousands of the temples languishing without daily rituals, he said.

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