YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Cancels Tirumala Temple Visit Amid Controversy

YSRCP leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has canceled his planned visit to the revered Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala Hills amid an ongoing controversy related to the temple’s well-known 'prasadam.'

Earlier in the day, reports indicated that Jagan’s visit might encounter obstacles as authorities enforced prohibitory orders. The police instructed him and his party to adhere to the restrictions or risk legal consequences. His visit was originally part of a larger statewide temple ritual organized by the YSR Congress Party to symbolically seek atonement for what they described as the “sins” of Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu.

The controversy began when Naidu alleged that the previous YSRCP government had used inferior ingredients, including animal fat, in preparing the famous laddus distributed as offerings at the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati. These accusations sparked nationwide outrage, leading to heated discussions about the purity of the temple’s offerings.

B Karunakar Reddy, former chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the temple, shared that he and other party leaders had been served notices by the police, warning them not to violate the orders. However, Karunakar Reddy stated that as a former TTD chairman, he is entitled to darshan along with seven others, and he intended to exercise that right. “Some of our leaders were issued notices late at night, asking them to refrain from participating. It’s unreasonable to demand that Jagan Mohan Reddy make a declaration, considering he has personally presented silk robes to Lord Venkateswara Swamy during festivals,” Karunakar Reddy commented.

As the dispute over the temple’s offerings remains unresolved, tensions continue to rise.