Only Hindus should work in Tirumala temple, says Andhra Pradesh CM

Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said on Friday that only Hindus should work in Venkateswara Swamy temple.

He declared that if there were Christians and people of other faiths employed in the temple, they would be relocated respectfully to other places without hurting their sentiments.

Naidu also made it clear that if Christian and Muslim institutions do not want Hindus to work in their institutions, the government would take steps to respect their sentiments.

The Chief Minister also announced the cancellation of the allotment of 35 acres of land in Tirupati for Devalok, MRKR and Mumtaz Hotel projects to protect the sanctity of the place. He slammed the previous government of the YSR Congress Party for making the allotments.

Some Hindu religious leaders had recently staged a protest, demanding the TDP-led coalition government to stop the construction of hotels and other activities that could violate the sanctity of the place.

The Chief Minister also announced that a decision has been taken to build Venkateswara Swamy in all state capitals in the country. CM Naidu said he would write to chief ministers of all states seeking their cooperation for the construction of the temples.

He was talking to the media after a meeting with the board members and officials of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) following a visit to the temple along with the family members on the occasion of the birthday of his grandson Devansh.

Chandrababu Naidu urged the TTD board members and employees to go a step ahead to protect the sanctity of the temple or at least discharge their duties to make sure that no sacrilegious activities take place.

The Chief Minister stated that seven hills belong to Venkateswara Swamy and its sanctity should be protected. He made it clear that commercialisation of the place would not be allowed.

He said during the last five years he struggled for protection of the sanctity of Tirumala. He said after coming to power in June last year, he launched cleansing from Tirumala.

He also vowed to protect the properties of Tirumala temple across the world. He pointed out that there are many devotees living abroad who want to build Venkateswara Swamy temples.

He announced that a trust would be formed for the construction of Venkateswara Swamy temples in villages in the state.

Earlier, Naidu worshipped at the temple along with his family members. The family sponsored a day’s ‘Anna prasadam’ (meals for devotees) in the name of Devansh. Naidu and his family members personally served food to the devotees.

He recalled that former chief minister N.T. Rama Rao had started the ‘Anna Danam’ programme. Through donations by devotees, its corpus fund has grown to Rs 2,200 crore.

IANS