The Andhra Pradesh government of YSR Jaganmohan Reddy has stoked a controversy with its order saying that non-Hindus will not be allowed employment at Tirupati temple. Officially called the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), it manages administration at the Sri Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala. It also manages other temples at Tirupati.

Tirumala Tirupati temple is among the richest Hindu temple in the world. And, according a 2018 report, there were at least 44 non-Hindu employees working on the temple premises.

The new order of the government says those who have converted to Hinduism will be allowed to stay in the job, others will be sacked. Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary LV Subrahmanyam said surprise checks will be conducted at the homes of employees to verify if they are Hindus or non-Hindus.

Jerusalem connection

The genesis of this controversy lies in two sets of advertisements that were printed on the reverse side of tickets sold to passengers on state government buses plying between Tirupati and Tirumala. One set of advertisements was about a "holy Jerusalem tour" for Christians of Andhra Pradesh. The other spoke about Haj pilgrimage offered by the Andhra Pradesh government to Muslims.

The advertisements led to a huge row in the state leading to suspension of an official of the state transport department. The advertisements had been printed on bus tickets under the previous N Chandrababu Naidu government just before the assembly election earlier this year.

But Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Jaganmohan Reddy became the target of Opposition parties. The fact that Jaganmohan Reddy is a Christian has complicated matters with the BJP alleging that the YSR Congress Party government is working on an anti-Hindu agenda.

The BJP and some of smaller outfits have been complaining for some time that since the time of YS Reddy-led Congress government in Andhra Pradesh, Christian evangelists were given a free hand in Tirupati. YS Reddy was the father of Jaganmohan and was Andhra chief minister between 2004 and 2009 over two terms.

YS Reddy had a curious Jerusalem connection. He used to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem before election results. His Jerusalem visit during 2009 assembly election was widely reported. YS Reddy had also announced a subsidy for pilgrimage to Jerusalem making Andhra Pradesh the first Indian state to do so.

It has a past

The local BJP leaders used this Jerusalem connection to launch a campaign against Jaganmohan Reddy. The BJP has alleged that mushrooming of churches has been allowed in Tirupati, a pilgrimage town for Hindus, by successive Andhra Pradesh governments since the days of YSR.

The previous Chandrababu Naidu government too had to face opposition over non-Hindus working in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. In January 2018, a video of a senior temple official hit the headlines showing her visiting a church.

This created a huge furore with various groups calling it an insult to religious sentiments of Hindus. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam conducted an inquiry into the matter. The probe revealed that the woman officer in question was appointed in 1986, three years before an order was issued banning recruitment of non-Hindus in temple administration.

The 1989 order, however, allowed recruitment of non-Hindus in the educational institutions run by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. This too was banned in 2007 with a new government order. Still, reports suggest that more than 40 non-Hindus were appointed for managing affairs of the temple -- including seven after 2007 government order giving the BJP a enough ammunition to target Jaganmohan Reddy.

The latest government order appears to be a damage control move by the Jaganmohan Reddy government. However, its decision to sack the Tirumala Tirupati temple's non-Hindu staff has stirred a controversy.

In 2018, following the video row, the temple administration identified 44 non-Hindu staff and removed them from religious duties. They were employed as gardeners, drivers and in other non-religious profiles. The affected employees challenged the decision in the high court and secured stay from it. Sacking the same batch of staff is likely to be tested again in the court.