Hyderabad: Hardly had the controversy over the alleged use of ghee adulterated with animal fat in the preparation of the iconic ‘Tirupati laddu’ died down that a fresh row broke out at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) which administers the affairs of the sacred shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirupati.
This time, it was a November 18 resolution of the newly constituted TTD Trust Board seeking to remove from service all non-Hindus working in various wings of TTD by extending the Voluntary Retirement Scheme or surrendering them to the Andhra Pradesh government for redeployment in other departments.
Coming close on the heels of the laddu imbroglio which took place during Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy’s term, the resolution was viewed as an attempt by the incumbent N. Chandrababu Naidu to score one more political point over his bitter rival. Jagan, a Christian, had nominated his uncle Y.V. Subba Reddy as the TTD chairman who relinquished office after the YSR Congress led by Jagan lost elections.
Jagan’s father Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had made his close relative B. Karunakar Reddy the TTD chairman.
Result of political rivalry
An example to show the political rivalry between Naidu and Jagan casting a shadow on TTD affairs was the erection of boards across the temple complex to inform non-Hindus about the mandatory clause of declaring their faith and reverence to Lord Venkateswara before entering the premises.
The boards were set up when the YSR Congress planned State-wide temple visits in the backdrop of laddu controversy.
Naidu issued a statement stating that all devotees planning to visit Tirumala should strictly adhere to the temple’s guidelines, customs, and traditions.
On learning about the board’s decision, Jagan cancelled his visit to the temple. The boards were then immediately removed.
There were no restrictions earlier
There were never any restrictions on the appointment of non-Hindus in the non-religious services of TTD in the past when at least two more Christians served as chief ministers. Chandrababu Naidu did not act in this manner against non-Hindus in his three previous terms.
To question why he targeted them now, official sources said the Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition on assuming office in June received complaints that non-Hindu staff members were needlessly retained by the TTD during previous regimes, particularly the YSR Congress government. Rivalry apart, the act was viewed as a sequel to the political compulsions of Chandrababu Naidu to adopt a strong Hindutva stand while heading the coalition comprising his own Telugu Desam Party, Jana Sena of Pawan Kalyan, and the BJP.
Political analyst Ravi Telakapalli disapproved the TTD decision and said Lord Venkateswara was unique in having a Muslim divine consort. Bibi Nancharamma. She was the daughter of a Muslim ruler from the north.
Ravi said the decision was inhuman as the staff were removed for no fault of theirs. It was alright to keep them away from religious functions. In what way religion will come in the way if they were employed in the discharge of non-religious functions? Moreover, their removal was violative of Constitutional guarantees.
Muslims play Shehnai at temple
He cited the example of Muslim musicians playing ‘sannayi’ ( Shehnai in Urdu) at Lord Ram’s temple at Bhadrachalam and Ustad Bismillah Khan’s audio tapes resonating at Kashi to prove that Muslims were also part of Hindu religious practices.
The president of the Sharia Board Mohammed Mushtaq Mallik said though it was the discretion of TTD to retain or remove non-Hindus on its rolls, it was not a good decision.
The TTD should have allowed non-Hindus to remain in non-religious duties while confining the conduct of rituals to those who believed in the faith.
Several others also voiced the view that it was acceptable to have non-Hindus employed at non-religious duties of TTD.
How many non-Hindus work at TTD?
According to an official report, there are 44 permanent staff of other religious faiths on the rolls of TTD. They were all appointed on compassionate grounds or contract and outsourcing channels. Former chairman Subba Reddy said the staff was involved in non-religious duties as drivers, attendants, nurses, and sanitation workers in hospitals, schools, and other services run by TTD outside the temple area. Unofficial accounts have put their strength at nearly 300 out of the total 7,000 permanent staff and an unspecified number among 14,000 contract and outsourcing workers.
Incidentally, this was the first meeting where the resolution was adopted by the board headed by a TV channel owner B.R. Naidu after the government was installed. This was also the first meeting of the new board after the laddu controversy which led to a huge outrage reflecting the sentiments of Hindus across the world.
Naidu justified the decision of the board saying the TTD was a Hindu religious institution, and, therefore it was felt that non- Hindus should not be employed to work in the temple.
Some welcome decision
Some employee unions of the TTD welcomed the decision on the grounds that it was consistent with the Andhra Pradesh Endowments Act, the TTD Act, and a government order that mandated that only Hindus be employed in temple-related roles. Surprisingly, the 44 employees were recruited after the rules were amended to confine the jobs to Hindus.
The TTD Act was amended thrice to ensure the exclusivity of Hindu employees. Judgements of the Andhra Pradesh High Court upheld the validity of endowment rules requiring staff at religious institutions to adhere to the faith of the institutions where they were employed.
