Tirupati laddoo row: Jagan Mohan Reddy cancels Tirumala visit, says permission denied

New Delhi: The political row over the alleged adulteration of ghee used for Tirupati laddoos intensified in Andhra Pradesh on Friday as YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy cancelled his trip to Tirumala temple.

The former chief minister said that he was denied permission to visit the shrine, a charge refuted by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Reddy was to arrive in Tirupati on Friday evening and do a 'darshan' on Saturday morning to atone for the "sin" allegedly committed by Naidu, who has claimed that animal fat was used to make the laddoos which are offered as 'prasad' at the temple.


Right before Jagan's scheduled trip, the TDP released documents which showed that non-Hindu dignitaries had always divulged their religion and declared faith in Lord Venkateswara on a form. The TDP dared Reddy to declare his religion.

Reddy, however, cancelled his trip and later addressed a press conference alleging that he was denied permission to visit the temple, a charge that has been rubbished by Naidu's TDP.

Sources said that while the rule about declaring one's faith is an old one, new signboards announcing the same have sprung up near the temple after the YSR Congress chief announced his visit to the temple on Wednesday. Later , Naidu addressed a press conference where he asked Reddy if he was given a notice by the police to not go to the temple. Accusing Reddy of spreading falsehoods, Naidu said, "These are just excuses."

Naidu said that his government would protect Hindu sentiments and that all visitors must follow the traditions of the temple.

The Andhra Pradesh chief minister had last week alleged the use of substandard ghee and presence of animal fat in the famous Tirupati laddoos during the previous YSRCP regime.