TTD will ensure 'justice' to all non-Hindu employees, says chairman B R Naidu

Tirupati: TTD chairman B R Naidu on Saturday said the temple body would ensure "justice" to all non-Hindu employees, emphasising that Hinduism does not mandate dismissing them overnight.

Highlighting that more than 200 such employees have been identified, the chairman said options such as assigning them to non-pilgrim-facing roles or offering the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) would be explored.

"We will ensure justice for them as well (non-Hindu employees). It is not the TTD’s intention to send them home overnight. Hinduism does not mandate such action. So, we will go by the rules," Naidu told PTI Videos.

According to the chairman, 48 non-Hindu employees have been identified in the first phase. Each of them would be individually consulted to determine their preferences -- whether they want to be reassigned to non-focal roles or opt for VRS.

Speaking at a separate press conference, he said that identifying non-Hindu employees can sometimes be difficult, as some use Hindu names.

"He (a non-Hindu employee) may use the name ‘Venkateswara Rao’ and still run a church—how can we identify them? Around 40 to 50 such employees have been found and will be removed in the first phase," he claimed, adding that the process is underway.