Two contract priests of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) have found themselves in trouble after meeting former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on the sidelines of his three-day visit to Pulivendula. According to sources, the priests were part of a group of Vedic scholars and priests who met Jagan and rendered ‘Vedasirvachanam’ at his residence on Wednesday.
Violation of Conduct Rules
After YSRCP activists posted videos of the meeting on social media, the two contract priests—Shravan and Manoj, who work at the TTD-administered Vontimitta temple—were identified as part of the group from the Brahmana Samajam. TTD deputy executive officer A Prashanti stated that contract priests and workers are not permitted to participate in private events or programmes. “As they have violated the conduct rules, we have issued notices to them and have sought their explanation. If their explanation is found to be unsatisfactory, the TTD services department will decide on initiating appropriate disciplinary action,” she said.
Political Reactions
Reacting to what he termed an “unnecessary controversy,” Tirupati MP M Gurumoorthy of the YSRCP defended the meeting. “There was nothing wrong in the priests meeting the former chief minister. They were part of a group of priests and Vedic pundits who met Jagan and rendered Vedasirvachanam. It was not a private event as they met an elected representative who is also the former chief minister of the state. If this becomes a precedent, then TTD will have to hand out notices to thousands of its employees. It is unfortunate that the ruling TDP is blatantly misusing the TTD for one-upmanship over its political opponents in this manner,” the MP said.
The incident has sparked a political debate, with the ruling TDP and opposition YSRCP trading barbs over the alleged misuse of the temple administration. The TTD has yet to announce further action pending the priests’ response.
