YSRCP MLC Duvvada Srinivas’s photoshoot near Tirumala temple triggers debate

Controversial photo shoots near Tirumala temple by YSRCP MLC spark uproar, raising debate on photography rules at TTD.

In the midst of the buzz surrounding the ongoing Brahmotsavams in Tirumala, YSRCP MLC Duvvada Srinivas allegedly organising photo shoots near the famed Venkateswara temple along with his friend D. Madhuri and sharing them on social media platforms as short videos has created an uproar.

The duo went on a clicking spree in the vicinity of the temple and the sacred tank (Srivari Pushkarini) on Monday (October 7, 2024), which apparently ‘distracted’ pilgrims on their way to the temple. 

Having applied for divorce, the MLC had publicly announced he was in a live-in relationship with his girlfriend. It was in this backdrop that the duo had visited Tirumala for darshan and stirred a controversy by clicking videos in the temple’s vicinity.

After their videos went viral on social media, a debate erupted in media as well as official circles as to whether such events could be allowed on TTD-owned premises.

Just recently, a leading film actor courted a similar controversy when she arrived with a team of photographers to click her walk down the Mada streets. After the incident led to a furore, she tendered an apology.

However, since the person involved in this latest incident is an MLC holding public office, the TTD’s senior officials went into a huddle and contacted the staff on the field as to how to deal with the situation. The TTD’s security apparatus as well as the district police department appeared clueless on dealing with the situation, as shooting videos, per se, does not come under any form of violation of the existing set of rules.

Photography is explicitly banned inside the precincts of Tirumala and other shrines functioning under the TTD umbrella, but it has never been discouraged outside the temples.