‘Got notice from cops’ vs ‘he is lying’: Naidu, Reddy in war of words over Tirumala temple visit amid Tirupati laddu row | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on Friday dismissed Jagan Mohan Reddy‘s claim that he was denied entry to the Tirumala temple, challenging him to provide evidence of any notice served.
“I am asking him to show the notice served to him,” Naidu insisted, rejecting the allegations.
Naidu said that law enforcement had invoked Section 30 of the Police Act in Tirumala due to recent developments, but maintained that no specific notice was issued to prevent Reddy from visiting the temple.He accused Reddy of trying to mislead the public, stating, “The former chief minister is trying to mislead people with blatant lies. Religious traditions and practices should be respected. No exceptions to that.”
Criticising Jagan, Naidu pointed out that while Jagan Reddy had admitted to reading the Bible, he should also respect Tirumala’s customs. “When he said he respects other religions, he should also respect the traditions at Tirumala,” Naidu said.
Addressing another controversy, Naidu challenged Reddy’s claims about the purity of temple offerings. “Jagan repeatedly says the same lie that no adulteration was done. AR dairy sent eight tankers of ghee. Four tankers have been consumed. After many complaints, samples from the remaining tankers were sent to NDDB,” he asserted. He further accused Jagan of “finding fault with the report given by NDDB,” adding, “We are obligated to reveal the report. We are answerable to people and devotees.”
Naidu also announced plans to introduce legislation that would mandate only individuals from the same faith work in religious institutions. “We are planning to bring a legislation making it mandatory that persons from the same faith work in religious institutions,” he stated.
In a broader criticism of the YSRC regime, Naidu pointed irregularities not only at Tirumala but also at various other temples, lamenting the lack of investigations into incidents such as the Ramatheertham idol vandalisation, Antarvedi chariot burning, and the theft of silver lion idols from the Durga temple. He remarked, “Jagan did not go to Tirumala as he has to sign the declaration register, which he is not willing to do.”
Earlier in the day, YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, accused the TDP government of obstructing his temple visit. He alleged that state police, acting under Naidu’s orders, had issued notices to YSRCP leaders instructing them not to participate in the event. “Police clearly stated in the notices to YSRCP leaders that the visit to Tirumala has no permission … why do we need police permission to visit the temple?” Reddy questioned, accusing the TDP government of running a “demon rule” in Andhra Pradesh.
Reddy also claimed that the police notices restricted YSRCP leaders from attending the program organized for his visit, stating, “The notice states that the visit to the Tirumala temple is not permitted, and the program organised by YSRCP does not have the necessary approval.”