Newly Appointed Tirupati Temple's Board Chief Slams Owaisi For Drawing Comparison With Waqf Board

Tirupati: After the Andhra Pradesh government announced the appointment of Bollineni Rajagopal Naidu as the new chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board, Naidu reportedly slammed AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for drawing a comparison of the temple board with the Waqf board. His criticism against Owaisi has come up amid an ongoing row over a proposal to employ only Hindus at the Tirumala temple trust. The AIMIM chief had reportedly questioned the inclusion of non-Muslims on the Waqf board in the proposed Waqf Amendment Bill, highlighting that not a single member of the TTD board was a non-Hindu.

Bollineni Rajagopal Naidu will take charge of the temple board on November 6, a move that comes as a significant development in the governance of the revered shrine. Naidu, a media entrepreneur and philanthropist, will lead the 24-member board comprising representatives from diverse backgrounds, including politics, judiciary, and business.

While lashing out at Owaisi for drawing a comparison between the temple board and the Waqf board, Naidu dubbed the Waqf board as a real estate company. “I condemn his (Owaisi) statement," he said.

He stated that only Hindus should be employed in the temple amid the controversy over adulterated ghee used in the Tirupati temple.

The Andhra government appointed Naidu as chairman of the newly constituted 24-member TTD board on October 30. The board includes three Telugu Desam MLAs - Jyothula Nehru, Vemireddy Prasanthi Reddy, and MS Raju - who have been appointed, with Prasanthi Reddy previously serving on the board as a YSR Congress nominee. Other notable members include former Union Minister Panabaka Lakshmi and Bharat Biotech co-founder Suchitra Ella. The board also reflects India's geographical diversity, with members from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra , and Gujarat . Justice HL Datt from Karnataka and Nannuri Narsi Reddy from Telangana will also be joining the board.

Naidu, the new chairman, has pledged to uphold transparency, accountability, and pilgrim welfare. He has outlined plans to enhance temple infrastructure and improve darshan access. With a distinguished career trajectory, Naidu started his career at BHEL, representing 12,000 employees as their union general secretary.