Following a complaint by The Telangana Tribal Association, Tridandi Chinna Jeeyer Swamy in a press meet today, clarified his remarks over the Sammakka Saralamma goddesses.
An old video that resurfaced recently shows the Swamy calling the goddesses “just forest gods”, which hurt the sentiments of many people belonging to the Adivasi community, following which the association lodged a complaint against Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamy at the Chikkadpally police station.
Among many calls for an apology, the spiritual guru said that he feels sorry for people taking things out of context.
“I’ve heard that people are saying that I have spoken in a way insulting Adivasi people, but that is not what we stand for,” he said.
He said that people are using his name and the video for their personal gains and publicity.
“I might have said something, but I wouldn’t say it today. I might have said it about 20 years ago,” he said, adding that people are using a very old video taken out of context to rile viewers up.
He said that the Vikasa Tarangini trust has probably done more for the Adivasi community than any other trust in India and they don’t discriminate on the basis of religion or caste.
Chinna Jeeyar is also the spiritual guru of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the Aagamashastra advisor of the Yadadri Temple. He is the brains behind the 108 feet ‘Statue of Equality’ recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Hyderabad.
The association also accused him of remarks against tribal culture and traditions. A video on Twitter of a younger Chinna Jeeyar Swamy shows him making controversial remarks on Goddess Samakka Saralamma.
