Guntur:  YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has cancelled his planned visit to the revered Tirumala temple in Tirupati amid a controversy surrounding allegations that animal fat was used in preparing the temple's sacred prasadam laddus. Citing concerns over potential disruptions and safety of the temple's visitors, Reddy made the decision to postpone his visit.

Jagan Mohan Reddy had planned to visit Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple at Tirumala Hills as part of statewide temple rituals called by his party, intended to atone for the "sin" allegedly committed by current Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in making these claims about the laddus. Addressing the media ahead of his visit, Reddy accused the state government of deliberately obstructing his pilgrimage. He revealed that police issued notices to YSRCP leaders, denying permission for the temple visit, citing a lack of required approvals.

Criticizing Chandrababu Naidu, Reddy asserted that Naidu’s allegations regarding the use of animal fat in the sacred Tirumala laddus were false and an attack on the sanctity of the temple. He defended the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams' (TTD) strict tendering process for procuring quality ingredients, including ghee, and dismissed Naidu’s accusations as baseless.

Reddy highlighted that under both his and Naidu’s tenures, ghee had been rejected multiple times due to quality concerns, reinforcing the TTD’s commitment to maintaining high standards. He accused Naidu of using the laddus controversy as a distraction from more pressing issues and condemned the political interference surrounding the temple's sacred rituals. The controversy continues to stir public outrage across the country, with both political leaders locked in a war of words over the sanctity of the revered Tirumala laddus.

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