The Jaganmohan Reddy-led Government of Andhra Pradesh, home to what is arguably the richest Hindu temple in the world at Tirupati has issued an order decreeing that non-Hindus will not be allowed any kind of employment at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), reports India Today.

The TTD employed at least 44 non-Hindus on the Tirupati temple premises, as per a 2018 report. However, the state government has now decided that only Hindus or the ones who have converted to Hinduism during their tenure will be permitted to stay in the job, and others will be sacked.

"If people have converted while working here, that is fine. They are free to change their religion and no one will oppose it. However, they can't continue with the job and will not be given an important post because it will hurt the sentiments of Hindus," said L V Subramanyam, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary.

To ensure that the order is being followed, the government will also conduct surprise inspections to determine if those employed are Hindus or not, Subramanyam added.

The decision from the state government has come at a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party the YSR Congress Party led by CM Jagan has been targeted for working on an anti-Hindu agenda. Jaganmohan Reddy and his family are practicing Christians and had been questioned over the appearance of ads for ‘holy Jerusalem tour’ at the reverse side of tickets for buses plying between Tirumala and Tirupati.