The Andhra Pradesh Archaka Samakya (temple priests’ body) has taken on the endowments department alleging that the temple authorities were not implementing the guidelines of the Supreme Court.

The members of the body, who addressed the press on Friday in Hyderabad, have alleged that the officials were indulging in irregularities pertaining to retirement besides the implementation of provident funds to the temple priests.

The members have also said that the temple authorities are removing the priests under cost cutting and are allegedly grabbing away crores of government money.

Also, they demanded the government to suspend the officials who were insulting temple priests with immediate effect failing which they would be gathering all priests at one place for staging a state-wide protests.

While the Congress government in the state is already suffering from n number of problems, the current protest warning by even the temple priests is one of the examples to apparently prove that the Congress is going to have a tough time in the by-polls. (Phani)