Hindus demand, ‘Stop Nomination of Non-Hindus in Temple Boards in Andhra Pradesh’.

Nomination of non-Hindus to temple trust boards in Andhra Pradesh vehemently criticized. 

The TTD Trust Board should not be seen as a political rehabilitation centre and to accommodate those following other faiths, says BJP leader G.V.L. Narasimha Rao. 

B Upendran | HENB | Visakhapatnam | Sept 1, 2023:: The actions of the Andhra Pradesh State government led by YSRCP are hurting the sentiments of the millions of Hindu devotees.

BJP Rajya Sabha member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao has taken exception to the nomination of non-Hindus as members of the trust boards of various temples in the State, including the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Varla Devasthanam at Srisailam, Sri Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada, and Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Visakhapatnam.

Mr. Narasimha Rao, along with party State vice-president P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, parliament district president M. Raveendra had darshan of the deity at Sri Karaka Chettu Polamamba on Tuesday.

Later, a signature campaign was launched to voice the concern of the people against the actions of the State government, which were “hurting the sentiments of the Hindu devotees.”

On Wednesday, the signature campaign was organised by the BJP in protest against the alleged nomination of non-Hindus into temple trust boards in the State, at Bhakta Tukaram temple at Hanumanthawaka here.

Addressing the devotees, Mr. Narasimha Rao said the signature campaign was being organised in response to the call given by the State BJP leadership.

“Hindus across the world consider it their good fortune to have darshan of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala. It is unfortunate that the temple administration is getting into controversies quite often,” he said.

Calling for introspection among the YSRCP leadership, he said that the TTD Trust Board should not be seen as a political rehabilitation centre and to accommodate those following other faiths.

While the government should respect all faiths and was at liberty to nominate candidates of its choice in other departments, those appointed to temple trust boards should have faith in Hinduism, Mr. Narasimha Rao said.

The government should consult Hindu religious heads if it was not in a position to select such persons, he added.

‘A background check should be done before nominating any person to the temple trust boards,” he said. The sanctity of temples should be protected, he added. A number of devotees participated in the signature campaign.

Taking to his X handle (formerly Twitter) Rao commented, “Participating in Visakhapatnam as part of the “Mana Temple-Mana Hakao” protest program organized by @BJP4Andhra at all temples across the state till August 30 to protest the appointment of non-Hindus and accused in the governing bodies of Hindu temples.(1/2)
This is a collection of signatures collected not on behalf of a party but in the context of hurting the sentiments of Hindus across the state. @YSRCParty, I warn that govt will have to face serious concerns (2/2)”.

Incidentally, the Andhra Pradesh Govt nominated such persons in TTD Board like Sarat Chandra Reddy, who was involved in the liquor scam in Delhi and Ketan Desai, who was found to be corrupt and dismissed from the MCI by the High Court of Delhi. BJP leader Daggubati Purandeswari also protested. 

The Hindu organisations of Andhra Pradesh are preparing to start a bigger movement to protest the ‘nomination of Non-Hindus in various temple trusts’ in the state ignoring the sentiment of Hindu devotees.

…

__Inputs from The Hindu.