ysr palana lo ap dusthithi

Elements in the Sangh Parivar in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (AP) claim that Christian missionaries are active in Tirumala, home to the renowned Tirupati temple, which attracts pilgrims from all over India. Tirumala is an officially declared ‘religious town’ and the law prohibits propagation of any religion other than Hinduism there.

By highlighting what they claim are proselytising activities by Christian organisations in Tirumala and the adjoining town of Tirupati, the Hindutva brigade hopes to gain support among the residents of the town, and score political points at the expense of YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, who happens to be a Roman Catholic.

The Sangh’s allegations centre on the report submitted by a five-member fact-finding committee headed by retired AP High Court judge Justice Bhikshapathi. The committee was appointed by Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji, pontiff of the Pejawar mutt in Udupi. Members of the committee held so-called public hearings near Tirupati and also spoke to officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the affairs of the shrine, as well as the administration in the surrounding area.

The committee’s report is being circulated on the Internet and in the local media by Sangh outfits like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the bjp. Among other things, the report states that:

• Members of the Christian community distributed religious pamphlets and copies of the Bible to students in Tirupati in May, which lead to a ‘tense situation’.

• In April, a pastor and his companion distributed pamphlets on Christianity in a bus going to Tirupati.

• The law prohibits carrying non-Hindu holy books in Tirumala but the TTD’s ‘vigilance officials’ have been tardy in booking violators.

• Family members of TTD employees practice Christianity and invite pastors to conduct prayers in their homes at Tirumala.

There has been no independent substantiation of the claims made in the report. Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji said that he has decided to give the authorities two months to act on their complaints. “The AP endowments minister agreed to implement our demands. If he doesn’t, we will continue our fight,” he said. In a clear reference to his political agenda, he also said that the issue has infused new enthusiasm in the Sangh cadre at Tirupati. Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji and a coterie of other Hindu religious heads are also accused of creating controversy and using it to gain a greater say in the affairs of the wealthy Tirupati shrine.

Anxious to improve its political fortunes in the southern states, the bjp is clearly banking on the issue. There is a concerted campaign employing the Internet and other media organs to whip up emotions over the so-called Christian conversion agenda in Tirupati.

One example is a pamphlet being circulated widely in Bangalore by an outfit called the Shri Haridaasa Sangha, which owes allegiance to the Pejawar mutt. It makes a number of unsubstantiated allegations against the Andhra Pradesh chief minister, the AP government and the TTD.

The handbill falsely says that the ‘S’ in cm YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s name stands for ‘Samuel’. It also says that the AP government has plans to auction 100 acres of land in the Tirumala hills which surround the Tirupati shrine. However, Tehelka found that the AP government is not authorised to auction any part of the hills — while an area of 27.5 square kilometres is under the TTD’s purview, the rest is a reserve forest, under the Centre’s purview.

But the AP government has given in to pressure from the Sangh Parivar and said that it will bring all the seven hills of Tirumala, spanning about 80,000 acres, under TTD control. The move is fraught with legal complications. “While managing a reserve forest and running after smugglers will add a Rs 20-crore burden on us, the forests will be in real danger because the TTD’s approach is to provide a comfortable stay for pilgrims, not protect forests,” says a worried TTD official, requesting anonymity.

The handbill also says that the AP government has appointed jrg Wealth Management, a Kerala-based firm owned by a Syrian Catholic, to make and distribute the famed Tirupati laddoos. This allegation is also incorrect — the temple only appoints Shrivaishnava Brahmins to make laddoos. jrg Wealth Management, whose promoters happen to be Christians, will advise the TTD on commodity futures for the huge stock of food supplies that the latter purchases.

TTD Executive Officer APVN Sharma says there is no evidence that Christianity is being promoted in the area. According to Sharma, Tirumala does have a sizeable chunk of hawkers, hotel staff, servers and sanitation workers from other faiths. There are also many dalits who have been working for the temple for generations but converted to Christianity many years ago. The TTD says it cannot act against them if they practice their religion within their homes, because, on their records, they are still Hindus. Officials said that some of them do invite pastors to their home. “The committee claimed there were about 40 Christian families living in Tirumala,” says a senior TTD official.

The report named some Christian TTD employees. Garden Superintendent Gopinath Jitta was one of them. “I got to know about their naming me a Christian through a magazine. I questioned them during a press meet if they had any evidence of my being a Christian. They had none,’’ he says. He is considering a defamation suit against the Sangh outfit.

Source:Tehelka.com