Hyderabad, Aug 26 - Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi told the Andhra Pradesh assembly Wednesday that the mortgaging of the jewellery of a Tirupati temple by the priest was only the tip of the iceberg.

The Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) president, who represents Tirupati constituency in the assembly, told the house that he was ready to table evidence of such misappropriation in other temples under Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.

'The misappropriation of temple ornaments is an emotional issue concerning crores of devotees. I have evidences on several manipulations in temples,' Chiranjeevi said in the assembly and demanded a thorough debate on the issue.

Following a similar demand from the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and other opposition parties, speaker N. Kiran Kumar Reddy announced that the house would take up a debate on the issue Friday.

Leader of Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu demanded a probe by the crime branch into the property of all temples in the state. 'There is no safety for god's properties in the state, forget about the safety of the common man and his property,' Naidu said.

State Minister for Endowments Gade Venkata Reddy, however, denied that the Devasthanam was in a bad shape as depicted by the opposition and the media.