A message is being shared on social media claiming that the Head Priest of Tirumala Tirupati Temple has recently urged devotees not to donate money to the Temple Hundis. This post claims that the Chief priest had accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of misusing the Tirumala Temple income for the welfare of Christian and Muslim communities in the state. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Tirumala Temple Chief Priest accused YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of utilising the temple income for the welfare of Christian and Muslim communities in the state.
Fact: In March 2019, during an interview, the then sacked Tirumala Temple Chief Priest Ramana Deekshithulu urged devotees not to donate money to temple hundi. Ramana Deekshithulu then alleged that 95% of temple income was being utilised by the Government and said that not even a single rupee from the Hundi income was utilised for the lord’s seva. Ramana Deekshithulu made these comments before the formation of the YSR Congress Party government in Andhra Pradesh. Also, he did not allege that the hundi income was utilised for the welfare of Christian and Muslim communities in the state. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The priest seen in the photo is the present Tirumala Tirupati Temple Head Priest, Ramana Deekshithulu. When we searched to check whether Ramana Deekshithulu had made any such statements about the utilisation of Tirumala Temple Hundi income, we found that Ramana Deekshithulu has spoken about the utilisation of the Tirumala Temple Hundi income during an interview in March 2019. While responding to a question about the utilisation of Temple income, the then sacked Tirumala Temple Chief Priest Ramana Deekshithulu has alleged that the 95% of temple hundi income was being utilised by the government.
During the interview, Ramana Deekshithulu urged devotees to not donate money to Tirumala Temple hundi alleging that not even a single rupee from the Hundi income was being utilised for the lord Venkateshwara Swamy’s Seva. Ramana Deekshithulu said, “I request all the devotees not to donate a single rupee in any temple hundi. Tirumala temple will get an income of about 2.5 to 3 crores every day but not even a single rupee was used for the Sri Vari Seva. All the commodities required for the lord’s seva are provided by donors. The temple Hundi income was utilised for the salaries of employees, for the Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad and also, for providing income for the engineering department and contractors. So, I urge all devotees to not donate money to temple hundi”. Further, Ramana Deekshithulu recommended devotees to participate in live seva, to donate money to the low-income temples so, that can be utilised for the salaries of poor priests and the commodities required for the temple. Ramana Deekshithulu made these comments in March 2019, before the formation of the YSR Congress Party government in Andhra Pradesh.
Ramana Deekshithulu has made several allegations against the Tirumala Temple authorities before he got re-elected as the Tirumala Temple Head Priest in 2021, under the YS Jagan government in Andhra Pradesh. Recently, ‘The Quint’ fact-check team contacted Ramana Deekshithulu for clarification regarding this viral message circulating on social media. Speaking to the Quint, Ramana Deekshithulu said, “As the head priest, it is my duty to ensure that the donation money is being put to good use. In my opinion, distribution of salaries, forming committees or construction isn’t good use. And that’s precisely why I asked devotees to not donate any money. I have never said that the money is being used for Muslims, Christians, or anyone else. My statement is being misrepresented”.
To sum it up, Tirumala Temple Chief Priest Ramana Deekshithulu did not accuse the YS Jagan government of misusing temple income for the welfare of Christians and Muslims in the state.
