Pawan Kalyan to conclude his 11-day ‘penance’ today

Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief K. Pawan Kalyan arrived in Tirumala on Tuesday as part of his 11-day ‘Prayaschittha Deeksha’ — a penance aimed at seeking redemption for what he termed as the sins that were committed during the previous YSRCP regime — referring to the allegations of animal fat being used in the preparation of the Tirumala laddu prasadam.

The Deputy Chief Minister’s penance, which has garnered significant public attention, is set to conclude with his offering of prayers at the temple of Lord Venkateswara on Wednesday.

Mr. Pawan Kalyan arrived in Tirupati airport on Tuesday evening, and proceeded to Alipiri, the foothills of Tirumala, from where he undertook the traditional trek to the sacred town.

Hundreds of JSP workers who had assembled at Alipiri gave him a rousing welcome and raised slogans in his support. Police officials had a tough time managing the crowd.

Speaking to reporters at the Tirupati airport, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said he stood by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu who had initially made the revelations regarding animal fat used in the making of laddu prasadam, adding that Mr. Naidu only revealed the information that he had. “Several wrongdoings were committed by the previous regime, and the adulteration of ghee in the sacred prasadam was just the catalyst for my Deeksha,” he said.

Mr. Pawan Kalyan, who is on a three day visit to Tirumala, will offer prayers to Lord Venkateswara on Wednesday followed by a visit to the Matrusri Tarigonda Vangamamba Nitya Anna Prasadam Complex, where the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) serves free meals to tens of thousands of pilgrims.

The Deputy Chief Minister will take part in a party meeting in Tirupati on Thursday evening before leaving for Vijayawada.

Published - October 01, 2024 09:06 pm IST