Do not play into hands of those bent on tarnishing Tirumala image, says TTD Chairman B.R. Naidu urges media

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman B.R. Naidu has appealed to the media to use discretion while providing coverage and not to provide a platform for those airing negative and baseless criticism against the sacred temple.

Mr. Naidu inaugurated the renovated premises of the Tirupati Press Club here on Thursday. MLA Arani Srinivasulu, Collector S. Venkateswar, Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) Chairman C. Divakar Reddy, AP Handicrafts Development Corporation Chairman P. Hariprasad, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) Chairman A. Ravi Naidu, and TTD Trust Board member G. Bhanuprakash Reddy were present.

It was in this backdrop that Mr. Naidu made a serious observation on the media coverage trend and the “sense of caution required to be exercised” before becoming the medium for such “negative publicity” against the temple.

Mr. Naidu’s response came in the wake of a series of allegations, though unsubstantiated, heaped on a regular basis against the TTD management by the opposition party leaders, in an apparent bid to embarrass the State government.

“All that Tirupati is today is because of Lord Venkateswara. I urge you not to play into the hands of the negative forces that try to use you as the platform to heap baseless charges with a mala fide intention against the TTD, which is the custodian of Lord Venkateswara,” he observed.