Andhra: Not Allowing Non-Hindu Employees In Hindu Temples Is A Good Step, But Bigger Challenge Is Issue Of 'Concealed Identity'

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu recently said that non-Hindus would not be allowed to work in Hindu temples in the state.

Coming after the tenure of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government led by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, during which a number of non-Hindus were allegedly appointed in temples, including the renowned Venkateshwara temple in Tirupati, the statement was seen as a welcome relief by many.

Among the allegations that surfaced during the tenure of Jagan, were that he had appointed fellow Christians as the chairpersons of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) board. While one of them was his uncle, Y V Subba Reddy, the other was Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, the party’s MLA from Tirupati.

Additionally, controversy arose over advertisements for a government aided ‘Jerusalem tour’ printed on bus tickets in Tirupati, with critics accusing Jagan of subtly encouraging religious conversions in the sacred town.

Naidu Is Not The First To Talk About Non-Hindu Employees

While Naidu’s recent remarks may appear to introduce a new policy, the issue of non-Hindus working in temples has been addressed by previous administrations as well.

Even Jagan’s government issued a similar order for the Tirupati temple. Before this, two significant orders on the matter were issued: one in 1989 and another in 2007.

However, despite these regulations, some non-Hindus were allegedly appointed after 2007.

Christians In Real Life, Hindus On Paper

In November 2023, the Andhra Pradesh High Court upheld the dismissal of P Sudershan Babu, who had worked in a temple in Srisailam. Investigations revealed that although he was a Christian, he had falsely claimed to be a Hindu from the Scheduled Caste (Mala) community to secure the job.

Therefore, while it is good that the issue of non-Hindu employees in temples has been recognised once again — given that some of them have been found to be indulging in proselytisation activities — there is a much larger challenge that Naidu has to face.

This challenge is the concealment of identity, as highlighted by the case of the Christian employee mentioned earlier.

This issue is particularly prevalent among Scheduled Caste communities in Andhra, which have high conversion rates. Identifying as Christians places them in the Backward Class category, reducing their share of reservation benefits. [In Andhra, Scheduled Caste converts to Christianity are classified as Backward Class (C-category) and allocated a 1 per cent quota.]

At the moment, they benefit from both identities — as Christian minorities and also as Hindu Scheduled Castes.

What also helps them get away is that there are a large number of such people at every level of the administration, who would be more than willing to help their co-religionists.

Unofficial estimates put the Christian population in Andhra at around 25 per cent, with converts from almost every community.

Hence, unless there are stringent checks from time to time, with measures such as surprise raids, or cross-referencing names with church membership lists, Naidu, despite his seemingly good intentions, may struggle to implement this effectively.