The board will soon meet Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and request that the services of non-Hindus are not required-Bhanu Prakash Reddy Andhra Pradesh BJP spokesperson

J deepak I hyderabad

After barring 18 non-Hindu employees from participating in all religious and spiritual activities of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple temple and issuing orders for their transfer to other department or handing out a VRS on February 1, 2025, the Andhra Pradesh BJP on Thursday demanded that about 1,000 employees of TTD, who are suspected to be practicing the non-Hindu faith, should be removed from the temple board services.

Andhra Pradesh BJP spokesperson and member of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Bhanu Prakash Reddy said the representatives of the board will soon meet CM Chandrababu Naidu and request that the services of non-Hindus are not required.

"TTD has over 6,500 permanent employees and more than 17,000 contract employees, bringing the total to about 24,000. I have received information that more than a thousand employees practice a non-Hindu religion, which is why we are taking a strong stance on this matter. On February 14, we will be meeting our CM Chandrababu Naidu, to request that non-Hindu employees should not be part of TTD," he said.

On the TTD’s disciplinary action against 18 non-Hindu employees, Reddy said, out of them, two are believed to be 'real' Hindus and hence the officials are requested to re-verify their credentials. He further stated that the TTD Act mandates only Hindus to perform temple rituals and that all staff must be Hindu.

In the meanwhile, YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday refused to comment on the TTD's decision to initiate disciplinary action against 18 employees for allegedly participating in non-Hindu activities, stating that he was unaware of the details of the issue. "I do not know the details of these topics. I don’t know which department they work in or where they are employed. I do not know where these numbers are coming from," he told reporters.

Should be extended to other temples: Swadeshi Jagran Manch

Pranth Prachar Pramukh(regional head) of Swadeshi Jagran Manch( a member of RSS family of organizations collectively known as “Sangh Parivar’) Keshav Soni speaking to Metro India said, “It was an “achievement of the struggles and agitations done by Hindu organizations like Swadeshi Jagran Manch and Vishwa Hindu Parishadh”. He wanted that the same decision of barring non-Hindu employees from participating in the temple acivities to be extended to all other temples as well. 

He further demanded that even the commercial establishments like shops and eateries in the vicinity of the temple to be allotted only to Hindus. “As these establishments earn money from the devotees visiting the temples, it is essential that they be allotted only to those who have faith in Hinduism.” TTD vigilance and enforcement head Ake Ravi Krishna submitted a report in 2017 which found that 44 non-Hindu men and women were working in different wings of the temple.

"It has been proved that the following (those 18) TTD employees are practicing and participating in non – Hindu religious activities, though they have taken the oath before the photograph/idol of Lord Sri Venkateswara stating that they will follow the Hindu Dharma (religion) and Hindu traditions only” said TTD executive officer J Syamala Rao in the memo.

Earlier in November 2024, the TTD board headed by chairman BR Naidu said that it would write a letter to the N Chandrababu Naidu-led NDA government for taking an appropriate decision on non-Hindus working in Tirumala. In October 2024, the TTD chairman said in Hyderabad that all those who work at Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, should be Hindus.

Back then, BR Naidu said that he would speak to the Andhra Pradesh government on how to deal with staff members belonging to other religions, whether they should be sent to other government departments or given VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme).Further, TTD rules mandate that non-Hindus have to declare their faith in the deity before making a visit to the temple.

Lokesh cited the example of ‘Hindus being not allowed to work in a mosque’ to make his point. Lokesh said the government will fight it out if there are any legal challenges to the decision. Meanwhile, reacting to TTD’s decision, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in a post on 'X' said he has no objection to TTD’s decision in regard to non-Hindu employees.

He demanded that Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu should explain why his party supported the BJP’s Waqf Bill in the Joint Working Committee which mandates a minimum of two non-Muslims in Central Waqf Council and State Waqf Board.