The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has terminated A.V. Ramana Dikshitulu from the post of honorary chief priest of the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala.
The TTD board of trustees, which met on February 26 (Monday), felt that Mr. Ramana Dikshitulu had inflicted ‘irreparable damage’ to the image of the institution by levelling baseless allegations against the TTD and its authorities, the senior and junior pontiffs, archakas and the potu workers. The Trust Board unanimously decided to terminate Mr. Ramana Dikshitulu from the post of honorary chief priest.
The TTD Trust Board also took strong exception to the way Mr. Ramana Dikshitulu tried to ‘malign Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and the chief pontiff of Ahobilam Mutt by levelling baseless allegations”. The Trust Board felt that Mr. Ramana Dikshitulu’s outbursts had reached “intolerable levels and any laxity will further damage the reputation of the institution”.
Briefing the media, TTD Chairman B. Karunakar Reddy said that the decision would come to effect immediately.
In a video that went viral on social media last week, Mr. Ramana Dikshitulu allegedly heaped allegations against the TTD authorities. He allegedly criticised the Chief Minister and the Ahobilam seer. However, in a post on social media platform ‘X’ later, he said the voice in the video in question was neither his nor did he make any critical remarks tarnishing the image of the TTD.
Mr. Ramana Dikshitulu was given the post of the honorary chief priest by the YSRCP government after he was forced to retire in 2018 during the TDP’s tenure.
