Denial of entry to RSS vehicle to Tirumala hills kicks up a row

BJP State spokesperson G. Bhanuprakash Reddy demanded an explanation from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) authority after the security personnel deployed at the Alipiri point denied entry to a vehicle belonging to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to the Tirumala hills on Monday.

The incident came to light on Tuesday after a video surfaced on the social media and it sparked a protest in the Bharatiya Janata Party quarters.

Mr. Bhanuprakash Reddy sought to know on what basis the vehicle belonging to the social organisation was stopped at the Alipiri check point.

What the rules say

There is a ban on entry of vehicles that explicitly bear the names, images and insignia pertaining to political parties. Such vehicles may be allowed after the controversial names are erased. “But, the RSS is not a political party,” argued Mr. Bhanuprakash Reddy.

When contacted by The Hindu, TTD Executive Officer K.S. Jawahar Reddy said that the vehicle in fact carried the words ‘BJP RSS’. The security personnel tried to remove the word ‘BJP’, when the ‘R’ in the subsequent word got accidentally torn off. “We will take action against the personnel concerned if the act was found to be a deliberate one,” he said.