Former Rajya Sabha member V. Vijayasai Reddy addresses a media conference in Tirupati on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar
Former Rajya Sabha member Venumbaka Vijayasai Reddy has announced that his soon-to-be-launched political party would enforce prohibition in the temple city of Tirupati and initiate steps to protect Sanatana Dharma.
Addressing a media conference here on Thursday (October 8, 2026), the fourth in the series after Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Anantapur, he promised a total clean-up of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) by removing the trust board comprising political representatives and forming a Dharmic board with monks and seers.
The former MP also proposed handing over the security of Tirumala-Tirupati to Central agencies, in view of what he called a looming threat from external agencies to the world-famous temple. He said a protective periphery would also be developed around the Tirumala hills.
Accusing the NDA government of trying to mislead the public in the garb of development, he criticised Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for “promising the moon” to the drought-prone Rayalaseema instead of constructing reservoirs to address the issue on a long-term basis.
He also accused former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of playing “caste and religion politics” by claiming to be a practising Christian and also using the Reddy surname, with an eye on the votes of both communities. “He cannot be both at a time. The Hindu society will accept Jagan as a Reddy only if he embraces Hinduism. If he does, we welcome the move,” he added.
On SIR
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Mr. Vijayasai Reddy praised the Union government for taking up the move to cleanse the voters’ list. He said the process would not only remove the deceased and shifted voters but also “eliminate illegal immigrants”.
Published – October 08, 2026 05:02 pm IST
