Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 27: The alleged adulterated “laddoo” row in the famed Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh has taken a murkier turn with the former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy attacking the ruling Telegu Desam Party and its NDA allies on Friday for raising questions on his religion after the parties demanded him to sign a declaration form meant for foreigners and non-Hindus before entering the temple.
Just hours before Mr Reddy was to set off for Tirumala on Friday evening for a “darshan” at the Tirupati temple on Saturday morning, the YSR Congress Party chief cancelled the trip and addressed a media conference to launch a frontal attack on the TDP, BJP and the Jana Sena Party, the three NDA allies ruling the AP.
His trip to Tirupati was meant to atone for the “sin” allegedly committed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who has claimed that animal fat was used to make the famed laddoos which were offered as ‘prasad’ at the shrine during the tenure of Mr Reddy as the chief minister.
While announcing the cancellation of his trip, Mr Reddy claimed that he was denied permission to visit the temple, a charge that has been rubbished by Mr Naidu’s TDP.
The decision came amid a political row in the state after the TDP and its ally BJP demanded that Mr Reddy, who is a former Andhra Pradesh chief minister, sign a declaration meant for non-Hindus. The parties have said that according to the rules of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the Tirumala Tirupati temple, foreigners and non-Hindus should declare their reverence for Lord Venkateswara, to whom the temple is dedicated, before visiting the shrine.
Sources said while the rule was an old one, new signboards announcing it have sprung up near the temple after the YSR Congress chief announced his visit on Wednesday. Mr Naidu said his government would protect Hindu sentiments and that all visitors must follow the traditions of the temple.
YSR Congress leaders have also reportedly been issued notices by the police stating that Section 30 of the Police Act, which regulates public assemblies and processions, was in force in the district. This was done in view of reports that several members of the party would gather along the route as part of state-wide rituals to atone for Mr Naidu’s “sin.”
Speaking at the press conference, Mr Reddy said he was also issued a notice that no permissions had been given for his Tirumala visit and claimed that the laddoo row was being used to divert the topic from the first 100 days of Mr Naidu’s rule as the chief minister in this term.
“All the statements made by him (Mr Naidu) on the laddoos are proving to be a lie one after another. He has made a mistake and violated the sanctity of the temple. I have visited the Tirumala temple several times and now he is bringing up the declaration issue to divert the topic once again and he is doing other politics with that… The Tirumala laddoo is special and pure, and with a political motive he has said that it was made with animal fat,” the former chief minister said.
Responding to the claim that the ghee used for the laddoos was adulterated and had animal fat, Mr Reddy hit out at Mr Naidu and asked why there was a delay in the lab report being made public. “A person holding the chief minister’s chair should not be lying like this… Nothing can be more irreligious than a chief minister spoiling the name and fame of the temple and the lord like that. The tendering for procuring ghee has been happening every six months for decades… the temple board approves the lowest bidder from qualified bids and the government has no role in it,” he added.
The state BJP chief D Purandeswari had cited two rules and said Mr Reddy needed to make a declaration. “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 place for decades. As per G.O. MS NO- 311 of AP Revenue Endowments–1, Rule no 16, Non-Hindus must give a declaration at the Vaikuntam queue complex before darshan. This is also as per TTD general regulations Rule 136,” the BJP leader had said in a post on ‘X.’
TDP spokesperson Jyothsna Tirunagari, who had earlier said Mr Reddy would not be allowed to visit the temple if he did not sign the declaration, said the YSR Congress chief had not been denied permission. “The former chief minister has made false statements. Giving a declaration is one of the rules at the temple for non-Hindus and we had raised this issue even when he was the chief minister. A declaration was also given by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam when he was President. The police have not issued any notice to Mr Reddy, he is imagining conspiracies,” Ms Tirunagari asserted.
At the press conference, Mr Reddy said everyone in the country knows his religion and he has visited Tirumala temple several times even before becoming the CM. He said though he reads the Bible within the four walls, he respects Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism. Mr Reddy said TVs are showing that thousands of police personnel were deployed in Tirupati to prevent his leaders from going to the temple.
“In order to divert the failures of his rule in 100 days, Mr Chandrababu Naidu has brought up the Laddoo issue and now to cover up his failures on the Laddoo issue, he came up with the faith declaration issue. He intentionally planted seeds of doubts on the Laddoo quality,” Reddy said.
“I had the opportunity to offer silk robes to Lord Venkateswara Swamy for five years (when he was the CM). I can understand it. It is not my first time (Tirumala visit),” he said. He reiterated that the ghee which was rejected by the TTD on the account of quality issues was never used in making the Laddoo Prasadam (consecrated food, sweet in this case).
He also slammed Chief Minister Naidu and the TDP-led NDA government for using religion to settle political scores. “I may read the Bible inside the four walls of my home, but outside, I respect Hinduism, Islam, and Sikh religions. Don’t people know my religion? As CM, I have presented the sacred clothes to Lord Venkateswara. No one questioned my religion and faith ever. How dare the TDP and alliance leaders ask me not to visit the temple?” Jagan said.
Stating that leaders of the TDP, JSP, and BJP were twisting words and spreading false information, he asked, “Do you know the meaning of the word ‘secular’. Do not indulge in dirty politics in the name of religion. I urge all YSRCP leaders to go to temples and tell people that it is Chandrababu Naidu who has done wrong by insulting the sanctity of the Lord Venkateswara temple and the Tirupati laddoos by spreading allegations.”
Taking aim at Naidu, Jagan said, “What is this, Hindutva? Humanity is Hinduism. Doing good deeds means Hinduism. In my view, any Hindu who does bad things is not a real Hindu.” Jagan said after his padayatra too, he had visited the temple to seek the Lord’s blessings. “I not only visited the temple several times, I accompanied the PM, I accompanied many leaders, why was I not questioned then? Why is my faith under question now?” he said. “What kind of secularism is this?”