Tirupati: Former TTD Chairman and senior political leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy came down heavily on the Andhra Pradesh coalition government, alleging that its recent actions against several prominent Hindu religious institutions amount to a direct insult to Sanatana Dharma.

Addressing the media here on Sunday, he expressed outrage over the police issuing notices to over 32 Hindu Mutts, including peethams such as Sringeri, Mantralayam, Ahobilam, Vaikhanasa, and Chinna Jeeyar Mutt. He said such moves reflect a lack of reverence for the institutions that have for centuries upheld Hindu and Sanatana dharma.

„These mutts are not ordinary organisations, they are the very pillars safeguarding our dharmic traditions. Issuing notices to their pontiffs, especially by the police, is both disgraceful and unacceptable,“ Bhumana said.

He particularly criticised the government for asking mutts to install CCTV cameras and seeking information related to weapons on their premises. He argued that such inquiries undermine the sanctity of these spiritual centres and amount to imposing unnecessary restrictions on their functioning.

“Why are these rules not being enforced in private guesthouses? Why are religious institutions alone being targeted?” he questioned, demanding an explanation from both the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and the Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. The former TTD chairman alleged that this crackdown on Hindu institutions is being carried out under the instructions of Endowments Chairman BR Naidu.

“It is not just an administrative overreach but a calculated attack on Hindu beliefs and practices,” he said. He further warned that such actions, if continued, could deeply hurt the religious sentiments of millions of devotees. „Religious heads of peethams like Sringeri must be respected, not harassed. The state should be facilitating dharma, not policing it,“ he added.