Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, making a startling claim, said that animal fat was used to make Tirupati laddoos, given as ‘prasadam’ by the Sri Venkateswara Temple, under the previous government run by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Jagan’s party YSR Congress (YSRCP) has rubbished the allegations and termed it malicious. The temple is managed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
Speaking at the NDA legislature party meeting in Amravati, Naidu said, “Even Tirumala laddoo was made with substandard ingredients…they used animal fat instead of ghee.”
“In the past 5 years, YSR Congress party leaders have tarnished the sanctity of Tirumala. They compromised on the quality of ‘Annadanam’ (free meals) and even contaminated the sacred Tirumala laddoo by using animal fat instead of ghee. This revelation has caused concern. However, we are now using pure ghee. The temple has been sanitised. We are striving to protect the sanctity of the TTD,” Naidu said in Telugu, NDTV reported.
Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) came to power in Andhra Pradesh in June in an alliance with the Jana Sena and the BJP.
After the allegations of N Chandrababu Naidu, Andra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh also targeted the Jagan Mohan Reddy government over the issue.
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“The Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala is our most sacred temple. I am shocked to learn that the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy administration used animal fat instead of ghee in the Tirupati Prasadam,” he said in a post on X.
Senior YSR Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy accused Naidu of damaging the sanctity of the Tirumala shrine.
“Chandrababu Naidu has severely damaged the sanctity of Tirumala and the faith of crores of Hindus. His comments about the Tirumala prasad are extremely malicious. No person would speak such words or make such accusations,” Reddy wrote in Telugu on X.
“It has been proven again that Chandrababu Naidu will stoop to any level for political gain. To strengthen the faith of the devotees, I, along with my family, am ready to take an oath before the almighty regarding the Tirumala ‘prasad’. Is Chandrababu Naidu willing to do the same with his family,” he asked.