The recent controversy surrounding Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trustee Naresh Kumar’s alleged verbal abuse of an employee came to an end on Friday evening, after he tendered his apologies to the employees and devotees. He downplayed the incident, which triggered widespread outrage among employees and political circles as a ‘family issue’, and said that their focus will now be on developmental activities and protecting the integrity of the institution.
Speaking to the media outside Annamaiah Bhavan after a high-level meeting with the leaders of various employees’ unions and top echelons of the TTD, Naresh Kumar admitted that it was an unfortunate incident and added that they have decided to move forward collectively.
The controversy erupted last on Wednesday (Febraury 19), when Naresh Kumar allegedly abused an on-duty employee at the temple’s main entrance, Mahadwaram, after being asked to take a common exit route. Enraged at the incident he lost his cool and hurled abuses at the employee in public, sparking sharp criticism from employees’ unions and political parties.
Speaking to the media, the employees union leader Golconda Venkatesh expressed the anguish of the workforce and that the incident had deeply hurt their sentiments, self-respect, and dignity which is why they had strongly protested, demanding a publicly apology from the member trustee and resignation from his position.
However, after assurances from TTD’s top officials that such unfortunate incidents will not repeat in future and in the larger interest of the institution, they have decided to call off their protest. He also said that the officials have promised to reinstate the employees who were either suspended or transferred in similar cases during the past two to three months.
The meeting also saw the participation of TTD Executive Officer (EO) J. Syamala Rao, Additional EO Ch. Venkaiah Chowdary, and trustee G. Bhanuprakash Reddy, who played a crucial role in de-escalating the crisis.
Published – February 21, 2025 09:20 pm IST
