Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has accused his successor, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, of attempting to tarnish the reputation of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Reddy claimed that Naidu’s actions were aimed at damaging the sanctity and integrity of the temple administration following the discovery of adulterated prasad, a sacred offering, at the Tirupati temple.

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In his letter, Reddy clarified that the procurement of ghee for the Tirupati laddu prasadam has been conducted through an e-tendering process, which takes place every six months. This process, unchanged for decades, selects the organisation meeting the qualification criteria based on the quoted price of ghee. “This has been the process in place for the past several decades, even during the period of the TDP government between 2014 and 2019,” CM Reddy wrote in his letter.

Reddy also criticised former CM Chandrababu Naidu, calling him a “pathological liar” who has “has stooped so low as to seriously hurt the beliefs of crores of people purely for political objectives.” He accused Naidu of lowering the dignity of public office and tarnishing the reputation of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and its practices.

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On September 19, Naidu sparked controversy by alleging that the ghee used in the famous Tirupati laddu during the previous YSRCP government contained animal fat. The Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple, where the laddoo is offered, is located in the Tirumala hills of Tirupati district.

In response, Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh assured that action would be taken, mentioning that a July report from a government-run lab confirmed the presence of animal fat in the prasadam. He also hinted at potential structural changes to prevent such incidents in the future.

“Action will be taken. CM will make a statement on it (demand for CBI inquiry). Nobody will be spared, but we will not drop this matter just with a CBI inquiry. Further steps have to be taken. We have to put a ‘full stop’ to this…Structural changes to ensure that this doesn’t happen in the days to come have to be made, CM will announce the policy for it,” Lokesh said.