Why have Tirumala Tirupati seers launched hunger strike against ‘Mumtaz Hotel’ in Alipiri?

Led by the AP Sadhu Parishad President Sirnivasananda Saraswati Swamy, the seers have begun an indefinite hunger strike in front of the TTD building, demanding the construction of the hotel to be stopped with immediate effect.

Hyderabad: Protests by Tirumala Tirupati seers have erupted once again against the setting up of luxury resort ‘Mumtaz Hotel’ in the Alipiri area near the Balaji temple.

Led by the Andhra Pradesh Sadhu Parishad President Sirnivasananda Saraswati Swamy, the seers have begun an indefinite hunger strike in front of the Tirumala Tirupati Devastanams (TTD) building,  demanding the construction of the hotel to be stopped with immediate effect.

The protesting sadhus have also demanded answers from both Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, as well as Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan as to why the Andhra government was allowing the construction of the luxury hotel to continue.

What is the Mumtaz Hotel row?

The YS Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSRCP government in 2021, passed a Government Order, proposing a 100 -room 5-star hotel in a 20-acre land, to be developed by Mumtaz Hotels Limited, a subsidiary of the Oberoi Group, with an investment of Rs. 250 crore.

The Mumtaz Hotel, according to plans would be operational, with bars, cafes, swimming pool, a lounge, spa and fitness center by March 2027 and later add another 25 rooms by 2030.

Opposing the project, TTD had on Monday passed a resolution requesting the State government to cancel the allotment of the 20 acres of land given to the Mumtaz hotel adjacent to the holy shrine.

TTD chairman BR Naidu confirmed the resolution passed by the board, saying that the land allotted to the Mumtaz Hotel was originally allotted to ‘Devalokam’, a tourism project, by CM N Chandrababu in his last term.

In an interview with ANI, the chairman said that the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government, changed the allotment and gave it to the Hotel named ‘Mumtaz’, which was highly objectionable to Hindus, given its close proximity to the holy shrine.

The seers, who are now up in arms against the State government, say that the project will violate the holiness and the sanctity of the Tirumala shrine. while both CM Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM, supporter of Sanatana Dharma, Pawan Kalyan are in direct line of fire.