All working in Tirumala must be Hindus: New temple trust head

HYDERABAD: : The newly appointed chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam ( TTD ) Board, B R Naidu , on Thursday said everyone who works at Andhra Pradesh ’s Tirumala, abode of Lord Venkateswara, should be Hindus .

Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad, B R Naidu said he would speak to Andhra Pradesh govt on how to deal with the staff members belonging to other religions — whether they should be sent to other govt departments or given VRS (voluntary retirement scheme).

“Everyone who works at Tirumala should be Hindu. That would be my first effort. There are many issues in this. We have to look into that,” he said.

B R Naidu, who is an ardent devotee of Lord Venkateswara, said he considers being appointed as chairman of the TTD Board a privilege.

He thanked Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and other leaders of the state’s NDA govt for giving him the responsibility of heading the Board.

B R Naidu, who alleged that many irregularities took place at Tirumala during previous YSR Congress govt, said the sanctity of the temple should be safeguarded.

He also said he would work with honesty and transparency in discharging his duties.

B R Naidu is a media personality who runs Telugu TV channels, including a Hindu devotional channel. Andhra Pradesh govt on Wednesday constituted a new board with 24 members for Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the body that administers the famous Balaji temple at Tirumala.

Govt appointed B R Naidu as chairman of the newly constituted TTD board, while Suchitra Ella, co-founder and MD of Bharat Biotech International Ltd is one of the board members