‘Declare your faith’: BJP to Jagan Reddy ahead of his Tirumala visit amid laddu row | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Andhra Pradesh BJP has called upon YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to publicly “declare his faith” ahead of his planned pilgrimage to the Tirumala temple amid allegations over adulterated “prasadam” sold during the YSRCP leader’s tenure.
Jagan Reddy is scheduled to visit the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on September 28 at Tirumala Hills as part of a series of temple ceremonies organized by his party across the state.
The YRCP’s rituals are aimed at “atoning for the sin” allegedly committed by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who accused the YSRCP of using substandard ingredients, including animal fat, in the making of Tirupati laddus.
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“We are given to understand that Jagan Mohan Reddy intends to visit Tirumala on the 28th of this month. The practice of declaring one’s faith has been in vogue for decades in Tirumala. As per G.O. MS NO- 311 of AP Revenue Endowments — 1, Rule no 16, Non Hindus must give a declaration at Vaikuntam que complex before darshan in the faith form. This is also as per TTD general regulations Rule 136,” said Andhra Pradesh BJP chief Daggubati Purandeswari.
Purandeswari further said that the Andhra Pradesh ex-chief minister “should give the declaration of his faith at the Garuda Statue itself at Alipiri”.

What is the rule?
As per rule number 136 and 137 of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)’s general rules, only Hindus should be allowed to worship at the Tirumala temple and every non-Hindu should voluntarily inform TTD about his religion and seek permission to gain entry into the Tirumala temple after signing the declaration for non-Hindus.
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Though this guideline has been in vogue for several decades now, an amendment was brought to the rule in the AP Endowments Act in 2014, according to which TTD will have to identify the devotees’ religion going by their facial features.
What’s the controversy?
CM Naidu sparked controversy by alleging that animal fat was mixed in the ghee used to prepare the famous Tirumala laddu during the term of the previous YSRCP government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy.
YSRCP denied the allegations and said Naidu was making wild statements for political reasons. Naidu said that he was astonished to find that poor-quality material was used to prepare Lord Venkateswara’s “prasadam”.
A day after Naidu’s claim, his government made public a laboratory analysis report of the cow ghee samples supplied to the Tirumala temple trust for making its laddu.
It revealed the presence of foreign fats including lard (clarified pig fat), tallow (beef fat) and fish oil. The report, however, is silent whether the adulterants were deliberately added or crept in through feeding conditions and other factors.
Naidu’s allegation and the NDDB’s report have shocked millions of devotees of Lord Venkateswara across the globe as the Tirupati laddus are considered Maha Prasadam and carry a high sentimental value.
Centre steps in
As the controversy spiralled into a massive outrage, the Centre weighed in and sought a full report on the issue and Union health minister JP Nadda assured that the government would further the matter and take suitable actions.
During a press conference, Nadda said that he spoke to Naidu after the controversy erupted and announced speaking to state regulators for a thorough investigation. The temple trust prepares about three lakh laddus daily and the “prasadam” is held in high regard by devotees.
Temple trust says ‘sanctity restored’
After reports of beef fat and fish oil being found in the cow ghee samples used to make the Tirupati ‘laddu prasadam,’ the temple trust said that the sanctity of the “prasadam” was restored. The trust said that they have also stalled the use of cow-based products temporarily for making Srivari Prasadams.
During YSRCP’s tenure in government, TTD had given the ghee supply contract to a private contractor, replacing the “Nandini” brand of ghee, a product of Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF).
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Following the change in supplier, there were several complaints over the quality of the laddu. The NDA government on August 29 signed a contract once again with KMF for ghee. TTD utilises about 10,000 kg of ghee every day for the laddu “prasadam”.