Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday appointed media entrepreneur B R Naidu as the Chairman of the TTD Board. The Naidu government constituted a new TTD Board that governs one of the richest Hindu temples—the hill shrine, Tirumala—abode of Lord Sri Venkateswara with 24 members.
B R Naidu, who hails from the same district of Chittoor as chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, is the owner of the popular Telugu satellite news channel TV5. Former chief justice of India, H L Dattu of Karnataka, found a place in the newly formed TTD Board as a member.
Apart from Andhra Pradesh, the new TTD Board has members from Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Darshan RN, Naresh Kumar from Karnataka, Dr Adit Desai from Gujarat, Saurabh H Bora from Maharashtra are the other members. Krishna Murthy, P Ramoorthy from Tamil Nadu and Bharat Biotech's Suchitra Yella also found place as members in the newly constituted TTD Board.
The iconic Tirupati Laddu Prasadam was embroiled in controversy recently after a lab report showed that cow ghee adulterated with animal fat was used to make the Laddu prasadam. The Supreme Court had appointed a CBI-monitored SIT to probe the charges.
“As a person who hails from the same region, I have a deep-rooted connection to Tirumala temple. As I have a fair understanding of the devotees' sentiments, I would strive to bring transparency, accountability, and the welfare of pilgrims during my tenure as TTD Chairman. I see this as a great opportunity to serve the Lord, and I thank the chief minister, deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan, and NDA leaders for it. I aim to correct past mistakes, enhance the temple's infrastructure, and make 'darshan' more accessible to the common man,” said B R Naidu.
Three persons recommended by Pawan Kalyan from Jana Sena too found place in the TTD Board as members. The TTD Board now includes Jana Sena's B Mahender Reddy, A Ranga Sri, and Pawan Kalyan's personal friend, Anand Sai. Naidu also accepted a few recommendations from its ally, the BJP.
Membership in the TTD Board that manages the affairs of the world-famous Tirumala temple of Lord Venkateswara is considered prestigious and always has heavy demand, with recommendations coming from faraway power corridors across the country whenever a new Board is constituted every two years.
The board membership has always been a sought-after coveted post due to the many privileges attached to it, including 'darshan' of the presiding deity.