TTD chief says only Hindu staff in Tirumala, but Centre wants non-Muslims in Waqf Boards: Owaisi

Hyderabad: Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday alleged that the new chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) favoured Hindu-only staff policy in Tirumala, whereas the NDA government at the Centre wants to induct non-Muslims in Waqf boards. On Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's comments in favour of parents having more children, Owaisi claimed that he would have been blamed for "doing population jihad" had he said the same thing.

He also said south India would suffer if delimitation of constituencies is carried out on the basis of population. "TTD chairman says that all employees should be Hindu. The Kashi Vishwanath board has also said that all employees including the commissioner should be from Hindu religion," he told reporters here. He said the endowment boards of many states maintain that if the officials of the boards change religion, they will be removed from their posts, he said.

Saying that he does not have any objection if only Hindu officials are appointed to those boards, he asked why the Modi government wants to make non-Muslims as waqf board members. The newly-designated chairman of TTD Board B R Naidu on October 31 said all those who work at Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, should be Hindus. Naidu said he would speak to the Andhra Pradesh government on how to deal with staff members belonging to other religions, whether they should be sent to other government departments or given VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme). Claiming that the proposed Waqf Bill violates Article 26 of the Constitution which deals with freedom to manage religious affairs, Owaisi alleged that the Bill was brought by the Modi government "not to protect waqf but to loot waqf".

Asked about the alleged comments of National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah that it is not correct to blame Pakistan every time for the terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Owaisi said law and order is with the LG. Owaisi charged that it is the failure of the NDA government at the Centre that it is not able to check attacks by terrorists who come from Pakistan. On the comments of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant against Shiv Sena's assembly election candidate Shaina N C, he asked whether leaders of the party which was split (Shiv Sena of CM Eknath Shinde) would not be called as imports. Shaina on Friday alleged that Sawant referred to her as "imported maal".