Published Mar 01, 2026 | 3:04 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 01, 2026 | 4:59 PM
BR Naidu.
Synopsis: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Chairman BR Naidu is facing calls to resign after a video purportedly showing him in a compromising position with a woman surfaced online on Sunday, 1 March. He said the clips were partly morphed, denied any wrongdoing, and accused the Opposition YSRCP of circulating them in retaliation for his remarks against former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman BR Naidu has found himself at the centre of a controversy in Andhra Pradesh after a video purportedly showing him in a compromising position with a woman surfaced on social media on Sunday, 1 March.
Former TTD Chairman and senior Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy demanded Naidu’s immediate resignation, calling the clip, stitched together from multiple videos, “immoral” and saying it had “hurt the sentiments of Hindus.”
Naidu confirmed the authenticity of the clips but said they were “partly genuine and partly morphed” and contained “nothing vulgar or inappropriate.”
He added that photographs nearly 20 years old had been morphed and inserted into the clip and called it “malicious propaganda” by political rivals, particularly the YSRCP.
“Deepfake videos are being circulated to tarnish my personal reputation and undermine the prestige of the TTD,” he said, adding that he had lodged a formal complaint with the Cyber Crime Police. Police have begun investigating the origin and circulation of the visuals.
Naidu said the woman in the clips was a long-time family friend and that their families had known each other for nearly 30 years.
“What is wrong if they visit us or if we visit them? Do you find anything objectionable if I greet our family friends?” he asked, speaking to reporters after the clips surfaced online, insisting there was nothing in the video that could be seen as harmful to society.
He said the clips were being circulated in retaliation for his earlier remarks questioning why YSRCP chief and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had visited Tirumala without his wife accompanying him, saying temple tradition requires devotees to perform certain rituals with their spouses.
“They did not like it when I questioned this,” he said, accusing YSRCP leaders of being behind the campaign against him.
He said an FIR would be registered soon and vowed to pursue the matter “to the highest level possible.”
Meanwhile, Karunakar Reddy, in a post on X, said the video was authentic and that he had sought the opinion of experts to confirm its veracity.
Calling the episode “unprecedented in the long history of TTD”, he accused Naidu of bringing disrepute to the institution and demanded a criminal investigation.
He also urged religious leaders to respond and said that if Naidu had any moral values, he should step down immediately.
He asked Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to remove BR Naidu and uphold the sanctity of the temple administration.
Naidu also took aim at Karunakar Reddy, accusing him of corruption during his tenure as TTD Chairman and saying efforts to force his resignation stemmed from fear that past irregularities would surface.
“Who is Karunakar Reddy to ask me to resign? Has he given me this post?” Naidu asked, noting that he was appointed by the Chief Minister. “If Chandrababu Naidu asks me to resign, I will do so in one minute,” he added.
Describing himself as a businessman and media baron rather than a politician, he said he had joined the TTD to render selfless service to Lord Venkateswara.
He alleged that during the previous YSRCP regime, thousands of darshan tickets were illegally sold over five years and said he had documents to prove it.
“Since the day I took over, they have been demanding my resignation. They could not even wait for one day, one week or one month. They are afraid their corruption will come out if I continue,” he said.
