Jagan Reddy calls for temple pooja in Andhra to cleanse Chandrababu Naidu's 'sin'

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has called for statewide poojas on September 28 to restore Tirumala's sanctity, accusing Chandrababu Naidu of defiling the revered shrine's image with false claims about its sacred laddu prasadam.

In Short

• YS Jagan claims Chandrababu Naidu spread lies about laddu prasadam
• Asserts Naidu tarnished Lord Venkateswara Temple's sanctity
• Urges statewide special poojas to restore it

The Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has called on devotees across Andhra Pradesh to participate in special poojas on Saturday (September 28), to restore the sanctity of Tirumala Tirupati temple, which he claimed was tarnished by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu by alleging that animal fat was used in preparing laddus at the sacred temple.

Taking to X, Reddy urged the people to stand against what he called false claims propagated by Naidu.

A controversy erupted after Naidu claimed that the sacred laddus prasadam offered at Tirumala Venkateswara Temple was adulterated with animal fat. This statement, according to the YSRCP chief, deeply misled devotees and damaged the revered image of Lord Venkateswara and the temple's traditions.

"The sanctity of Tirumala, the significance of Swami’s prasadam, the glory of Lord Venkateswara, the reputation of TTD, and the sacredness of the laddu prasadam have all been defiled by Chandrababu Naidu. With political malice, he deliberately spread lies that the prasadam was adulterated with animal fat, causing devotees to believe they had consumed tainted offerings," Jagan Reddy said in the post.

"YSRCP is calling for statewide rituals in temples to sanitise this sin committed by Chandrababu on Saturday, September 28," he added.

He also emphasised that this act of alleged misinformation, driven by political motives, has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of millions of devotees.

Chandrababu Naidu first raised concerns about the adulteration of the famous Tirupati ladddus, alleging that animal fat had been used in their preparation. Lab reports later confirmed these claims, revealing that the ghee used to make the sacred sweets during Jagan Mohan Reddy's administration was of substandard quality and contained both beef oil and lard.

The YSRCP, however, has refuted allegations regarding the supply of substandard ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) and clarified that no low-quality ghee was permitted into the revered temple trust.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Reddy requested his intervention in the matter, emphasising that all protocols were duly followed by the TTD, the governing body of the Tirumala temple.

"The robust practices in place for decades in TTD could identify the questionable quality and therefore the ghee was not used. Despite this comforting scenario, Mr. Naidu chose to callously make a remark that Tirumala Laddus were made with animal fats and not with ghee," Reddy wrote.