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'Waqf board real estate firm': TTD chief rejects Asaduddin Owaisi's 'Tirumala' comparison
Owaisi said last week that if Muslims cannot be trustees of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) then how can a non-Muslim be on the Waqf board.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman BR Naidu on Monday rejected AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's statement comparing the Waqf Board with the temple's governing body. He said the comparison between the two bodies is baseless because the Waqf Board is a real estate company whereas Tirumala is a temple.
Owaisi said last week that if Muslims cannot be trustees of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) then how can a non-Muslim be on the Waqf board?
"This statement is baseless, the waqf board is a real estate company... How can he compare it with Tirumala? Tirumala is a Hindu temple. There have been demands for many years that non-Hindus should not be in Tirumala. It is not my personal (opinion)... Sanatana Dharma says only Hindus should be there. We are working on that and we will decide in the first board meeting," he said.
What did Owaisi say on the Waqf bill?
Asaduddin Owaisi said on Saturday that the Modi government's proposed Waqf amendment bill, which makes it mandatory to include two non-Muslims on the panel, was wrong.
"Not even a single member of the 24 members of TTD Board (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) is a non-Hindu...The new Chairman of TTD says that the people working there should be Hindu...We are not against this, we just have an objection to the fact that Narendra Modi's government is saying in the proposed bill of Waqf that in the central Waqf Council, it has been made mandatory that 2 non-Muslim members should be there...Why are you bringing this provision in the Waqf bill?" he said.
"TTD is a board of the Hindu religion and Waqf Board is for the Muslim religion. There should be parity...When the trustees of TTD cannot be Muslims, how will a non-Muslim member be on the Waqf Board?" he added.
BR Naidu said last week that he would discuss with the Centre his demand that non-Hindu employees working at Tirumala be transferred or given voluntary retirement.
"I will talk to the government about the people from other religions working in Tirumala on priority whether to shift them to other departments or give them VRS," he said.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 seeks to introduce digitization, stricter audits, and transparency in the Waqf Board, which owns and manages properties linked to Islam.
With inputs from ANI
