The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken serious exception to TTD trust board member and MLA Kolusu Parthasarathy attending Christmas festivities scheduled for Wednesday in Krishna district as the chief guest. The party asked to him to step down from his coveted position in the TTD before attending events pertaining to other faiths.
At a media conference here on Tuesday, the party’s State spokesperson G. Bhanuprakash Reddy showed the poster, circulating on the social media, in which the MLA is named as the chief guest. N. Satish, trust board member of Indrakeeladri Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Devasthanam, Vijayawada, is named as an invitee for the event.
“What message will this send to the Hindus if people from revered temples attend such festivities? Is it a tacit invitation to the gullible among Hindus to convert their faith?”, he asked. Mr. Reddy said BJP workers would obstruct Mr. Parthasarathy at Alipiri and prevent him from attending future meetings of the TTD trust board at Tirumala, should he attend the event.
Warning to employees
He issued a veiled warning against TTD employees “discreetly practising” Christianity and “remaining Hindus for the record”. The party will keep an eye on such employees and a complaint lodged with the vigilance department, he said.
“Those drawing a salary from Lord Venkateswara’s coffers need to abide by the law”, he said. He said employees belonging to different faiths be sent on deputation to other departments in the government, without harm to their service record.
Last year, the TTD had identified and issued a show cause notice to such employees, but the issue hit a roadblock with the latter moving court. “The TTD has a fully-equipped law department, which should take up the issue in earnest and take the case to its logical end”, he said.
Tirupati Parliamentary constituency in-charge S. Dayakar Reddy and media committee member G. Pushpalatha were present.