A day after the Supreme Court questioned Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu over allegations about the possible adulteration of Tirupati Prasadam, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan asserted on Tuesday the judges did not claim the laddus were unadulterated.
Kalyan confirmed that the government would investigate violations from the past five years, stressing that the issue goes beyond just the prasadam. “Supreme Court judges didn’t say that it was unadulterated, they said there was confusion regarding the date which will be cleared. But our government will take forward the kind of violations that happened in the last 5 years It is not just about the Prasad issue,” he said, ANI reported.
Kalyan also spoke about his upcoming ‘Prayashchit Diksha’, aimed at supporting the Sanathana Dharma Parikshana Trust.
“Some kind of desecration has been happening continuously for the last 5-6 years. Around 219 temples were desecrated. In Ramatheertham, Lord Ram’s statue was vandalised. So, this is not about just one prasad issue. This ‘Prayashchit Diksha’ is the commitment to take forward the Sanathana Dharma Parirakshana Trust, it is very essential. This kind of occurrence should be stopped and addressed differently at a different level,” he added.
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Kalyan announced that he would make a declaration after completing the Diksha.
During a hearing on Monday, the Supreme Court questioned Naidu’s statements about the use of adulterated ghee in preparing prasadam at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala. Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan criticised Naidu, stating there is no conclusive evidence that contaminated ghee was used.
Also Read:Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu sets up SIT to prove Tirupati Prasadam controversy
The bench expressed concern about Naidu’s remarks potentially affecting public sentiment, saying, “We are prima facie of the view that when the investigation was under process, it was not appropriate for the high constitutional authority to make a statement that could affect the sentiments of crores of people.”
The bench further suggested that the Solicitor General advise whether the current SIT investigation should continue or be handed over to an independent agency.
In light of the ongoing Supreme Court proceedings, Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Dwaraka Tirumala Rao announced that the SIT investigation into the Tirupati laddu prasadam case would be suspended until 3 October.
