Tirupati laddu row: Andhra Pradesh deputy CM Pawan Kalyan begins 11 days ‘Prayaschitta Diksha’ | Vijayawada News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh Deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan began an 11-day ‘Prayaschitta Diksha‘ at Sri Dasavatara Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Guntur on Sunday. The initiation is a penance for the alleged use of ‘animal fat‘ in Tirupati Laddu Prasadam at the Tirumala Temple in Tirupati.
Kalyan announced on X that he will fast for 11 days seeking forgiveness from Lord Balaji.He stated, “I am deeply hurt on a personal level by the malicious attempts made to infuse impurity in the prasad of Sri Tirupati Balaji Dham, the center of our culture, faith, belief, and devotion, and to tell you the truth, I feel cheated from within.”

He further added, “Right now, I am taking a vow to seek forgiveness from the Lord and am taking a vow to fast for eleven days. In the latter part of the eleven-day Atonement Initiation, on October 1 and 2, I will go to Tirupati and have a personal darshan of the Lord and beg for forgiveness and then my Atonement Initiation will be completed in front of the Lord.”
Kalyan, a Janasena Party leader, expressed shock and guilt over the alleged use of animal fat, blaming the previous government. “Tirumala Laddu Prasadam, which is considered to be sacred, has become impure as a result of the depraved tendencies of the past rulers,” he wrote on X.
He added, “Not being able to detect this sin in the beginning is a stain on the Hindu race. The moment I came to know that the laddu prasadam contained animal remains, I was shocked. Feeling guilty. As I am fighting for the welfare of the people, it hurts me that such trouble did not come to my attention in the beginning.”
Earlier, the Telangana Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) called for strict action. Ram Singh, VHP Vice President, “Vishwa Hindu Parishad is demanding that everyone involved in this should get immediately arrested and punished. If the government does not do that, then the Hindu organisations like Bajrang Dal, Sangh Parivar and the devotees of Balaji should take action.”
Ram Singh alleged that the use of ghee containing animal fat was for business purposes.
This controversy follows Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu’s accusation that substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were used in Tirupati laddus during the previous Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government. Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy responded on Friday, accusing the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) of “politicising religious matters.”